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FC Gold Pride was an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club based in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
, which participated in
Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...
. The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct
Women's United Soccer Association The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first Women's association football, women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000 in sports, 2000, the league began its first se ...
as the top-level women's soccer team in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
. FC Gold Pride moved to its final home of
Pioneer Stadium Pioneer Stadium is a soccer and track & field stadium owned and operated by California State University, East Bay in Hayward, California, United States. It currently hosts the East Bay Pioneers soccer and track & field teams. The stadium also host ...
on the campus of
CSU East Bay California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay, CSU East Bay, or CSUEB) is a public university in Hayward, California. The university is part of the 23-campus California State University system and offers 136 undergraduate and 60 pos ...
in June 2010 after opening their 2010 home schedule at the
Castro Valley High School Castro Valley High School is located in the unincorporated suburban community of Castro Valley, California, United States. It is a State school#United States high school for grades 9 to 12. Named a National Exemplary School in 1984–85 and 1988†...
Athletic Stadium. The club ceased operations in November 2010 after struggling financially and being unable to find new investors.


Team history


Founding

FC Gold Pride was founded on 3 September 2008 as the seventh and final team to join the new top tier Women's Professional Soccer league. The team is owned by a group led by
Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...
and Nancy NeSmith, the former being the CEO of Sunnyvale-based internet technology company
Blue Coat Systems __FORCETOC__ Blue Coat Systems, Inc., was a company that provided hardware, software, and services designed for cybersecurity and network management. In 2016, it was acquired by and folded into Symantec. In 2019 was, as part of Symantec Enterpris ...
. Former San Jose Clash midfielder and local youth coach
Albertin Montoya Albertin Montoya (born February 19, 1975) is a Cuban-born American soccer coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the interim head coach of Washington Spirit. As a player, Montoya spent two seasons with the San Jose ...
was named the team's first head coach, while former CyberRays and Brazilian National Team player Sissi was announced as the first assistant coach for FC Gold Pride on 29 September 2008. On 13 November 2008, the team's home venue was revealed to be
Buck Shaw Stadium Stevens Stadium is a 7,000-seat soccer stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and wa ...
in Santa Clara, which it shares with
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...
of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
as well as the
Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
soccer teams. The team revealed its official name and logo (FC Gold Pride) to the public for the first time on 19 November 2008. On 16 September 2008, the initial WPS player allocation was conducted, which consisted of U.S. Women's National Team players.
Nicole Barnhart Nicole Renee Barnhart (born October 10, 1981) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in ...
,
Leslie Osborne Leslie Marie Osborne (born May 27, 1983) is a retired American soccer defensive midfielder who last played for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL in 2013. She is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team and previously pl ...
and
Rachel Buehler Rachel Marie Buehler Van Hollebeke ( ; ; born August 26, 1985) is an American former soccer player who last played as a defender for the Portland Thorns FC and the United States women's national soccer team. In 2015, Van Hollebeke retired from ...
were allocated to FC Gold Pride. On 24 September 2008, a further four players were allocated to the Bay Area via the 2008 WPS International Draft. The allocated players were strikers Christine Sinclair (
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
) and
Eriko Arakawa is a Japanese football player. She plays for Chifure AS Elfen Saitama and formerly played for Japan national team. Club career Arakawa was born in Nerima, Tokyo on 30 October 1979. In 1997, she joined L.League club Yomiuri-Seiyu Beleza (lat ...
(
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
), along with two
Brazilians Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...
, midfielder Formiga and defender
Érika Érika Cristiano dos Santos (born 4 February 1988), commonly known as Érika, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Corinthians and the Brazilian women's national team. Érika played as a forward for her clubs and Brazil's yout ...
. The Pride signed a one-year deal with Formiga in February 2009, as well as Arakawa, post-draft discovery pick
Adriane The name Adriane may refer to: *Adriane Carr (born 1952), Canadian academic, activist, and politician * Adriane dos Santos (born 1988), Brazilian association football player * Adriane Fugh-Berman, American medical researcher * Adriane Lenox (born 1 ...
(
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
), Érika, and Sinclair. At the
2009 WPS Draft The 2009 WPS Draft took place on January 16, 2009. It was the first draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams, though other players not previously assigned could be drafted as ...
, FC Gold Pride drafted three former college stars:
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
midfielder
Christina DiMartino Christina DiMartino (born November 6, 1986) is an American professional soccer midfielder. She previously played for the Philadelphia Independence of the WPS and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. Early life Born ...
, Notre Dame defender
Carrie Dew Caroline Frances Dew (born December 8, 1986) is an American former soccer defender who last played for Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). Personal Dew was born in San Diego, California and grew up in the city of Encinitas, C ...
, and
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
forward
Tiffany Weimer Tiffany Marie Weimer (born December 5, 1983) is an American Association football, soccer forward (association football), forward who plays for FC Nordsjælland (women), FC Nordsjælland. Early life During her high school career at North Haven ...
. Also amongst the 2009 draftees was former United States national team star Brandi Chastain.


2009 WPS season

FC Gold Pride won their inaugural WPS game against the
Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...
on April 5, 2009. The club remained in strong contention until defender
Kandace Wilson Kandace LaShawn Love (; born October 24, 1984) is an American professional soccer defender who currently plays for California Storm in the Women's Premier Soccer League. She previously played for the FC Gold Pride and Western New York Flash of ...
was injured during a home game against the
Los Angeles Sol The Los Angeles Sol was an American professional soccer club that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The team was co-owned and operated by Blue Star, LLC and AEG, a subsidia ...
. After that, FC Gold Pride's second loss at the hands of the
Washington Freedom Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...
marked the beginning of the club's slide to the bottom of the WPS rankings, where it would remain for the rest of the season. The club's transactions in the wake of Wilson's injury included signing
Los Angeles Sol The Los Angeles Sol was an American professional soccer club that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The team was co-owned and operated by Blue Star, LLC and AEG, a subsidia ...
draftee Greer Barnes, elevating developmental player
Marisa Abegg Marisa Rene Abegg (born March 14, 1987) is an American retired association football, soccer defender (association football), defender. Early career She attended Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Oregon. College Abegg played for the Stanfor ...
to the full roster, and returning Sissi to the field as a player. In the end, FC Gold Pride failed to make the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs, after a must-win game against the
Saint Louis Athletica Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...
ended in a 1–1 draw. The club finally snapped its ten-game winless streak with a final 3–2 win against the
Washington Freedom Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Germantown, Maryland, that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's Uni ...
on August 1, 2009. However, a last loss to
Sky Blue FC NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...
and a tie with
Saint Louis Athletica Saint Louis Athletica was an American professional soccer club that was based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, Missouri that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. Athletica started the 2009 season playing its home games at Ralph Korte S ...
did not allow FC Gold Pride to avoid finishing last in the WPS standings.


2009–2010 off-season moves

The only player FC Gold Pride lost to the
2009 WPS Expansion Draft The 2009 WPS Expansion Draft was a special draft for the Women's Professional Soccer teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence, taking place on September 15, 2009. Each expansion team made 9 selections from the existing seven WPS teams. F ...
was defender
Leigh Ann Robinson Leigh Ann Brown (; born August 17, 1986) is an American former soccer defender. She previously played for FC Kansas City of the National Women's Soccer League, FC Gold Pride, Atlanta Beat, and the Philadelphia Independence of the Women's P ...
, chosen by the Atlanta Beat. Over the course of the offseason, the club traded Allison Whitworth to the Atlanta Beat, and released several players, including team captain
Leslie Osborne Leslie Marie Osborne (born May 27, 1983) is a retired American soccer defensive midfielder who last played for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL in 2013. She is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team and previously pl ...
, leading assist-getter
Tiffany Weimer Tiffany Marie Weimer (born December 5, 1983) is an American Association football, soccer forward (association football), forward who plays for FC Nordsjælland (women), FC Nordsjælland. Early life During her high school career at North Haven ...
,
Eriko Arakawa is a Japanese football player. She plays for Chifure AS Elfen Saitama and formerly played for Japan national team. Club career Arakawa was born in Nerima, Tokyo on 30 October 1979. In 1997, she joined L.League club Yomiuri-Seiyu Beleza (lat ...
, Formiga, and Brandi Chastain. Osborne and Weimer would later join the
Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...
, and Formiga was taken by the
Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...
. The club signed Niki Cross (later to rejoin her first WPS club, Saint Louis Athletica), and
Candace Chapman Candace Marie Chapman (born 2 April 1983) is a retired Trinidad and Tobago-born, Canadian soccer player. From Ajax, Ontario, she played as a defender and was a member of the Canadian national team. She is currently a youth team national coach ...
. After scouting the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, the club signed Norwegian international
Solveig Gulbrandsen Solveig Ingersdatter Gulbrandsen (born 12 January 1981) is a Norwegian footballer currently playing for Kolbotn of the Toppserien. At club level she has previously represented Kolbotn, FC Gold Pride, Vålerenga Fotball Damer and Stabæk. Wi ...
. In what was considered a major coup, FC Gold Pride signed
Los Angeles Sol The Los Angeles Sol was an American professional soccer club that was based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The team was co-owned and operated by Blue Star, LLC and AEG, a subsidia ...
player Camille Abily, trading midfielder
Christina DiMartino Christina DiMartino (born November 6, 1986) is an American professional soccer midfielder. She previously played for the Philadelphia Independence of the WPS and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. Early life Born ...
, FC Gold Pride's top
2009 WPS Draft The 2009 WPS Draft took place on January 16, 2009. It was the first draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams, though other players not previously assigned could be drafted as ...
pick, to Los Angeles. The club also had a successful 2010 WPS Draft, drafting 2009
Hermann Trophy The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players. History In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...
winner
Kelley O'Hara Kelley Maureen O'Hara (born August 4, 1988) is an American soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist. She currently plays as a defender for the Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) ...
, New Zealand international
Ali Riley Alexandra Lowe Riley (born 30 October 1987) is an American-born New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Angel City of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the New Zealand women's national foot ...
, and 2008 U-20 World Cup champions Becky Edwards and Kaley Fountain, among others. The Los Angeles Sol ceased operations not long afterwards; in the ensuing 2010 WPS Dispersal Draft, FC Gold Pride acquired Marta, Kiki Bosio, and Lindsay Browne. Another Los Angeles Sol player, Brittany Cameron, was also signed separately as a free agent.


2010 Season

FC Gold Pride started fast and kept its momentum running throughout the 2010 season. Despite the departure of
Solveig Gulbrandsen Solveig Ingersdatter Gulbrandsen (born 12 January 1981) is a Norwegian footballer currently playing for Kolbotn of the Toppserien. At club level she has previously represented Kolbotn, FC Gold Pride, Vålerenga Fotball Damer and Stabæk. Wi ...
and trading Kaley Fountain to the Atlanta Beat, the Pride dominated the league's regular season and on September 26, 2010, won their first WPS Championship by defeating the
Philadelphia Independence The Philadelphia Independence was an American professional soccer club that was based in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pennsylvania. The team joined Women's Professional Soccer as an expansion team in 2010 and played its home games at West ...
, 4–0. Three members of the team garnered end of season honors: Marta was named
Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...
and won the Golden Boot, both for the second consecutive season;
Nicole Barnhart Nicole Renee Barnhart (born October 10, 1981) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in ...
was named Goalkeeper of the Year; and
Ali Riley Alexandra Lowe Riley (born 30 October 1987) is an American-born New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Angel City of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the New Zealand women's national foot ...
was named Rookie of the Year. After the close of the 2010 season it was revealed on November 16, 2010 that FC Gold Pride had folded and would not be returning for the 2011 season.


Players


Final squad

:''As of 12 August 2010.''


Team captains

*
Leslie Osborne Leslie Marie Osborne (born May 27, 1983) is a retired American soccer defensive midfielder who last played for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL in 2013. She is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team and previously pl ...
(2009) *
Rachel Buehler Rachel Marie Buehler Van Hollebeke ( ; ; born August 26, 1985) is an American former soccer player who last played as a defender for the Portland Thorns FC and the United States women's national soccer team. In 2015, Van Hollebeke retired from ...
(2009– ) * Camille Abily (2010– )


Final coaching staff

:''As of January 2010.''


Head coaches

:''Information correct as of 11 August 2009. Only competitive matches (regular season and playoffs) are counted. Wins, draws, and losses are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shootouts are not counted.


General manager

* Ilisa Kessler (1 November 2008 â€“ 16 November 2010)


Year-by-year


Team records

* Games: Kristen Graczyk, 20 * Goals: Christine Sinclair, 6 * Assists:
Tiffany Weimer Tiffany Marie Weimer (born December 5, 1983) is an American Association football, soccer forward (association football), forward who plays for FC Nordsjælland (women), FC Nordsjælland. Early life During her high school career at North Haven ...
, 3 * Shutouts:
Nicole Barnhart Nicole Renee Barnhart (born October 10, 1981) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in ...
, 2


WPS awards

* Michelle Akers Player of the Year Award ** Marta,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* Goalkeeper of the Year **
Nicole Barnhart Nicole Renee Barnhart (born October 10, 1981) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in ...
,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* Rookie of the Year **
Ali Riley Alexandra Lowe Riley (born 30 October 1987) is an American-born New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a defender for Angel City of the American National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the New Zealand women's national foot ...
,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
* WPS Golden Boot ** Marta,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
*''Winners'' (1):
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...


Home stadiums

*
Buck Shaw Stadium Stevens Stadium is a 7,000-seat soccer stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and wa ...
(2009) *
Pioneer Stadium Pioneer Stadium is a soccer and track & field stadium owned and operated by California State University, East Bay in Hayward, California, United States. It currently hosts the East Bay Pioneers soccer and track & field teams. The stadium also host ...
(2010)


See also

*
Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...
*
National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...
*
Women's United Soccer Association The Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) was the world's first Women's association football, women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000 in sports, 2000, the league began its first se ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold Pride, FC Association football clubs established in 2008 Defunct soccer clubs in California Women's Professional Soccer teams 2008 establishments in California 2010 disestablishments in California Soccer clubs in California Soccer clubs in San Francisco Soccer clubs in San Jose, California Association football clubs disestablished in 2010