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Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, suburb of
Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...
, that 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 Freedom was founded in 2001 as a member 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 ...
. Beginning in 2004, the Freedom played its home games at the
Maryland SoccerPlex The Maryland SoccerPlex is a sports complex in Germantown, Maryland, although its mailing address is Boyds, Maryland. The facility, completed in 2000 and operated by the Maryland Soccer Foundation (MSF), has 21 natural grass fields, 3 artificial ...
. In 2011, the team relocated to
Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
, and became
magicJack MagicJack is an Internet-based telephone service (VoIP) provider in the United States and Canada. It offers nationwide VoIP and cellphone services. MagicJack VOIP service is a computer peripheral that, in combination with telephony service ...
.


History


WUSA (2001–03)

The team played its home games at
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the ...
in Washington, D.C., where the team offices were also located. The team's "founding players" (players from the
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
allocated three to each WUSA team) were
Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the U ...
,
Siri Mullinix Siri Lynn Mullinix (born May 22, 1978) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper. As keeper for the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic soccer team, she recorded two shutouts helping the team win the silver medal. In 2010, Mullinix was inducted into the N ...
and
Michelle French Michelle Ann French (born January 27, 1977) is an American soccer assistant coach for the United States women's national soccer team. She is a former United States women's national soccer team player and received a silver medal as a member of t ...
. They were expected by some to be one of the best in the league but finished seventh out of the eight teams their first season. However, this finish allowed the Freedom to select
Abby Wambach Mary Abigail Wambach (born June 2, 1980) is an American retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on the U.S. women's natio ...
as their first pick in the 2002 WUSA draft. Additional personnel changes, better performance from retained players, and a Mia Hamm improved by off-season knee surgery led to a far better finish, as Washington went undefeated in their last eight matches and finished in third place (only two points out of first). In the postseason, they won their semifinal match against the
Philadelphia Charge The Philadelphia Charge was an American women's professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Villanova Stadium on the campus of Villanova University near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History ...
, 1–0, and went to the Founders Cup, the WUSA championship match, which they lost, 3–2, to the
Carolina Courage Carolina Courage was a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Fetzer Field on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in 2001, and then at the soccer-specific SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina i ...
. In 2003, the Freedom were just good enough to make the playoffs, clinching the fourth and final spot with two games to go. However, they would go on to beat the regular season champion
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 ...
in the semifinals, 0–0 (3–1 penalty kick shootout), and then defeated the Atlanta Beat in the Founders Cup, 2–1, in overtime. It was the last
Golden Goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...
in a
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
-sanctioned first-division league before the practice was changed.


Exhibition years (2004–05)

After the WUSA folded, the Freedom maintained an existence as the Washington Freedom Soccer Club, moving their home stadium to the Maryland Soccerplex and putting together a team called Washington Freedom Reserves, which consisted of half-a-dozen players from the WUSA days along with young local players. In 2004, they played assorted exhibition matches against college and W-League teams and participated in the WUSA Festivals. In 2005, the roster was significantly upgraded by adding former WUSA players like
Tiffany Roberts Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak (born Tiffany Marie Roberts; May 5, 1977) is an American soccer coach, former defender, and Olympic gold medalist. She was also a member of the 1999 U.S. national team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. She beca ...
,
Kylie Bivens Kylie Elizabeth Bivens (born October 24, 1978) is an American former professional soccer player who featured as a defender and midfielder and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. She represented the United States at ...
, and
Emily Janss Emily Suzanne Janss (born July 1, 1978) is an American soccer defender who last played for Washington Freedom of Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the Uni ...
, as well as players
Ali Krieger Alexandra Blaire Krieger (born July 28, 1984) is an American soccer player for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women's ...
and
Joanna Lohman Joanna Christie Lohman (born June 26, 1982) is a retired American professional soccer midfielder/ defender who last played for the Washington Spirit of the American National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for the Washington Freed ...
from the U-21 National Team. The team also brought in former star soccer players Sun Wen and
Brandi Chastain Brandi Denise Chastain (born July 21, 1968) is an American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster. She played for the United States national team from 1988 ...
as guest players for one game each. In a season of exhibition matches, almost all against W-League teams, the Freedom compiled a 7–2–2 record.


W-League (2006–08)

The team became an associate member of the W-League in 2006 and played an exhibition season based on home-and-home series against east coast W-League teams. Then, on December 7, 2006, Washington announced that they had acquired a full W-League franchise. In 2007, playing games that mattered for the first time since 2003, the Freedom compiled a 12–1–1 record, defeated the regular season champion Ottawa Fury in the Eastern Conference championship game, then went on to beat the
Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...
, 3–1, in the W-League championship match. In 2008, the Freedom went 11–1–2 in the regular season, winning the Northeast Division, then defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks, 2–1, to capture the Eastern Conference championship, but then fell to the eventual W-League champion
Pali Blues Pali Blues was an American women's association football, soccer team, which played from 2008 to 2014. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues USL W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team pl ...
, 2–0, in the W-League semifinals.


Women's Professional Soccer: The first season (2009)

When the
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 ...
league formed in 2008, the Freedom became one of the original seven teams that started play in 2009. The initial WPS player allocation, announced on September 16, 2008, assigned US Women's National Team players
Abby Wambach Mary Abigail Wambach (born June 2, 1980) is an American retired soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on the U.S. women's natio ...
,
Cat Whitehill Catherine Reddick Whitehill (born Catherine Anne Reddick; February 10, 1982) is an American retired professional soccer defender, who was also an assistant coach of the Boston Breakers in the NWSL. Whitehill last played for the Boston Breakers ...
and Ali Krieger to the Freedom. Wambach had played for the Freedom in 2002 and 2003, while Krieger played for the Washington Freedom Reserves in 2004 and 2005, and for the W-League team in 2007. In the 2008 WPS International Draft, conducted on September 24, 2008, the Freedom selected Japanese striker
Homare Sawa is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward or a midfielder. Regarded by many as one of the greatest female footballers of all time and the greatest Asian female footballer of all time, Sawa had a professional club care ...
, French players
Sonia Bompastor Sonia Bompastor (born 8 June 1980) is a French football manager and former player who currently manages Lyon of the French Division 1 Féminine. She is the first person to win the UEFA Women's Champions League as both a player and a manager. Bo ...
and
Louisa Necib Louisa Nécib Cadamuro (; born 23 January 1987) is a French former professional footballer who played for the France national team. She spent the majority of her career at Lyon, amassing eighteen titles with the French club over a nine-year spa ...
and Australian forward
Lisa De Vanna Lisa Marie De Vanna (born 14 November 1984) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Perth Glory. She has previously played for Adelaide Sensation, Western Waves, Doncaster Rovers Belles, AIK, Perth Glory, Washingt ...
. Following the draft, the Freedom named
Erin McLeod Erin Katrina McLeod (born February 26, 1983) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Stjarnan of the Icelandic Besta deild kvenna. She first appeared for the Canada women's national soccer team at the 2002 Algarve Cup and ...
and
Lene Mykjåland Lene Mykjåland (born 20 February 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who played for LSK Kvinner and the Norway women's national team, having made her debut for the senior team on 7 March 2007, in a 1–2 loss against Germany. Career Mykjåland s ...
as post-draft discovery players. Following that was the
2008 WPS General Draft The 2008 WPS General Draft took place on October 6, 2008. It was the first general draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of international and domestic players to the American-based teams. Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 ...
on October 6, 2008, and all of the players selected by the Freedom were from the Freedom's 2008 W-League roster:
Sarah Huffman Sarah Eileen Huffman (born March 5, 1984) is an American former professional women's association football, soccer player who last played for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League, NWSL. Early life Huffman was born in Danbury, ...
,
Becky Sauerbrunn Rebecca Elizabeth Sauerbrunn (born June 6, 1985) is an American professional soccer player for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States. Since 2021 ...
,
Lori Lindsey Lori Ann Lindsey (born March 19, 1980) is a retired American soccer midfielder who last played for Canberra United in the Australian W-League and was also a member of the United States women's national soccer team player pool. She played one ...
and Emily Janss. Lindsey had been on the Freedom roster since the final WUSA season in 2003, and Janss had been with the team since 2005. 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 ...
took place on January 16, 2009. The Freedom drafted
Allie Long Alexandra Linsley Long (born August 13, 1987) is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League and the United States national team. She made her debut for the national team on May ...
, Alex Singer, Jill Gilbeau, Parrissa Eyorokon,
Briana Scurry Briana Collette Scurry (born September 7, 1971) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper, and assistant coach of the Washington Spirit . Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cu ...
,
Rebecca Moros Rebecca Ann Moros (born May 6, 1985) is an American soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach for University of Arizona women's soccer team. A defender during her playing career, Moros played for the Utah Royals, Houston ...
, Sarah Senty, Kati Jo Spisak, Claire Zimmeck, and Christen Karniski. Additionally, the Freedom received the rights to Joanna Lohman in a trade 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 ...
. All of the players except for Long, Eyorokon, and Scurry had previous experience playing for the Freedom's W-League team. Two players were added to the roster after tryouts and training camp: Kristin DeDycker and Madison Keller. Keller had experience with the Freedom going back to 2004, while DeDycker (née Warren) had played for the Atlanta Beat in the WUSA. McLeod was intended to be the starting goalkeeper, but visa issues kept her unavailable through the first five matches of the regular season, and the Freedom had mixed success with Briana Scurry and Kati Jo Spisak in goal. Following her arrival, though, the Freedom won three out of the next six matches while only losing once. Abby Wambach, meanwhile, was recovering from a broken leg and didn't feel fully recovered until late in the season, when she returned from national team duty having scored her 100th international goal. She then went on a tear, scoring five goals and two assists in the team's final four games. The Freedom won three of those four matches and thereby clinched third place in the standings and a home playoff match. But despite looking strong going into the playoff match, and coming off a solid 3–1 victory over their opponents,
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 ...
, they put on a listless performance and were eliminated from the playoffs, 2–1.


Women's Professional Soccer: season two (2010)

Unlike most of the other WPS teams, the Freedom made only limited changes in the offseason. The marquee signing was of young forward Lene Mykjåland from the
Norway national football team The Norway national football team ( no, Norges herrelandslag i fotball, or informally ''Landslaget'') represents Norway in men's international football and is controlled by the Norwegian Football Federation, the governing body for football in ...
, followed by picking up Nikki Marshall, Beverly Goebel, Kristi Eveland, and Caitlin Miskel in the 2010 college draft. The team then signed Christie Welsh, who had helped lead the 2007 Freedom to the W-League championship before being drafted by the WPS Los Angeles Sol and then traded to the St. Louis Athletica. Brittany Bock was acquired in the
dispersal draft A dispersal draft is a process in professional sports for assigning players to a new team when their current team ceases to exist or is merged with another team. Like most other sports drafts, most dispersal drafts are conducted in North America. ...
to place former
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 ...
players. Marisa Abegg and Meagan McCray were brought in after going unsigned by their former WPS team,
FC Gold Pride FC Gold Pride was an American professional soccer club based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association as the top-l ...
. After the St. Louis Athletica folded, the Freedom signed their 2010 second-round draft pick Ashlyn Harris, who went on to become the starting goalkeeper after Erin McLeod tore her ACL in a match on July 24. On August 5, the Freedom traded their rights to Nigerian defender Faith Ikidi to 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 ...
for English national team defender Anita Asante. Players did not return for several reasons.
Lori Lindsey Lori Ann Lindsey (born March 19, 1980) is a retired American soccer midfielder who last played for Canberra United in the Australian W-League and was also a member of the United States women's national soccer team player pool. She played one ...
and Sarah Senty were picked up in the expansion draft by 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 ...
, one of the two new WPS teams for 2010. Lindsey had originally joined the team in 2003 during its last year in the WUSA, while Senty joined the W-League team in 2007. Ali Krieger signed a two-year contract with
FFC Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt is a German women's association football club based in Frankfurt. Its first team currently plays in the German top flight, Frauen-Bundesliga. From 1998 to 2020, the club was known as 1. FFC Frankfurt. Eintracht have won se ...
, keeping her there into 2012. Other players with extended Freedom experience not re-signed included Emily Janss (since 2005), Joanna Lohman (2005), Kati Jo Spisak (2007), and Christen Karniski (2008). Additionally, Alex Singer, who joined the W-League team in 2007, was cut on August 5 to make room for Anita Asante. The Freedom started their season solidly in April and May, with a 4–2–1 record good enough for second place. However, in July and August they went on a ten-game winless streak ending with five losses in a row that put them out of playoff position and put head coach Gabarra's job in jeopardy. Longtime assistant coach Clyde Watson resigned and former
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 ...
head coach
Emma Hayes Emma Carol Hayes (born 18 October 1976) is an English professional football manager. She is currently the manager of FA WSL club Chelsea Women. She previously served as the head coach and director of football operations for Chicago Red Stars o ...
was hired as a consultant. The team rebounded to finish the regular season 4–1–2, good enough for the fourth and final playoff position. That led to a road match against the Philadelphia Independence, which the Freedom lost on a goal from
Amy Rodriguez Amy Joy Rodriguez Shilling (; born February 17, 1987) is an American retired professional soccer player who last played as a forward for North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for NWSL teams Ut ...
in the waning seconds of overtime, wasting a superb performance from rookie backup goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris. Following the season, Gabarra announced his resignation, citing "irreconcilable differences" between himself and team management.


Women's Professional Soccer: purchase, relocation, and termination (2011)

Financial troubles that had stirred in the background during the middle of the previous season came to the front during the offseason, with the longtime team owners finally deciding to back out after ten years of supporting the club. With multiple teams having trouble making offseason payments, the league was under threat of folding.
Dan Borislow Daniel Marc Borislow (September 21, 1961 – July 21, 2014) was an American entrepreneur, sports team owner, inventor, and thoroughbred horse breeder. Borislow was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Widener Universi ...
, owner of the phone service
MagicJack MagicJack is an Internet-based telephone service (VoIP) provider in the United States and Canada. It offers nationwide VoIP and cellphone services. MagicJack VOIP service is a computer peripheral that, in combination with telephony service ...
, bought the Freedom in 2011. He changed the team name to
Magicjack MagicJack is an Internet-based telephone service (VoIP) provider in the United States and Canada. It offers nationwide VoIP and cellphone services. MagicJack VOIP service is a computer peripheral that, in combination with telephony service ...
and moved the team to
Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
, Florida. He quickly came into conflict with the players and owners of other teams and the league terminated the franchise on October 25, 2011, accusing Borislow of misconduct. The WPS subsequently cancelled the 2012 season and the WPS ceased to exist.


Players


Most recent squad

:''As of August 8, 2010.'' This was the final roster to play under the Washington Freedom name. *Developmental players


Notable former players

This list includes players who participated in any games played by the top-level Washington Freedom team, whether competitive (WUSA, W-League, WPS) or friendly (WUSA Festivals in 2004, exhibition matches in 2004 and 2005, Hall of Fame game in 2007, etc.). * Bai Jie (2001–2002) *
Kylie Bivens Kylie Elizabeth Bivens (born October 24, 1978) is an American former professional soccer player who featured as a defender and midfielder and was a member of the United States women's national soccer team. She represented the United States at ...
(2005) *
Sonia Bompastor Sonia Bompastor (born 8 June 1980) is a French football manager and former player who currently manages Lyon of the French Division 1 Féminine. She is the first person to win the UEFA Women's Champions League as both a player and a manager. Bo ...
(2009–2010) *
Brandi Chastain Brandi Denise Chastain (born July 21, 1968) is an American retired soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, two-time Olympic gold-medalist, coach, and sports broadcaster. She played for the United States national team from 1988 ...
(2005) *
Amanda Cromwell Amanda Caryl Cromwell (born June 15, 1970) is an American professional soccer coach and former player, and former head coach of Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League. Cromwell was previously the coach at the University of Centra ...
(2001) *
Joy Fawcett Joy Lynn Fawcett (; February 8, 1968) is a retired American professional soccer player. She earned 241 caps with the United States women's national soccer team (WNT) and retired from the WNT in 2004 as the highest scoring defender for the U.S. W ...
(2004) *
Julie Foudy Julie Maurine Foudy ( ; born January 23, 1971) is an American retired soccer midfielder, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She played for the United States women's national soccer team from 1988 to 2004 ...
(2004) *
Michelle French Michelle Ann French (born January 27, 1977) is an American soccer assistant coach for the United States women's national soccer team. She is a former United States women's national soccer team player and received a silver medal as a member of t ...
(2001) *
Gao Hong Gao Hong (born 1964 in Luoyang, Henan) is a composer and performer of the Chinese pipa (pear-shaped lute). Gao has lived in the United States since 1994. She performs traditional and modern Chinese music, with her groups Spirit of Nature and ...
(2003) * Kelly Golebiowski (2003–2008) *
Jennifer Grubb Jennifer Leigh Grubb (born July 20, 1978) is an American former Women's association football, women's soccer player. Career Grubb was the only Women's United Soccer Association, WUSA player to participate in every minute of every game for her te ...
(2001–2006) *
Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the U ...
(2001–2003, 2007) *
Angela Hucles Angela Khalia Hucles Mangano (; born July 5, 1978) is an American sports executive and former professional soccer player. Hucles Mangano is currently the vice president of player development and operations at Angel City FC of the National Women's ...
(2004) *
Emily Janss Emily Suzanne Janss (born July 1, 1978) is an American soccer defender who last played for Washington Freedom of Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the Uni ...
(2005–2009) *
Steffi Jones Stephanie Ann Jones (born 22 December 1972) is a German-American Association football, football manager and former player who last managed the Germany women's national football team, German women's national team. As a Defender (association footba ...
(2002–2003) *
Ali Krieger Alexandra Blaire Krieger (born July 28, 1984) is an American soccer player for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women's ...
(2004, 2006–2007, 2009) *
Louise Lieberman Louise Kristina Lieberman (born May 6, 1977) is an American soccer coach and former player. She is currently the head coach of the San Diego Toreros women's team. Lieberman played for the Washington Freedom of the Women's United Soccer Associa ...
(2000) *
Lori Lindsey Lori Ann Lindsey (born March 19, 1980) is a retired American soccer midfielder who last played for Canberra United in the Australian W-League and was also a member of the United States women's national soccer team player pool. She played one ...
(2003–2009) *
Joanna Lohman Joanna Christie Lohman (born June 26, 1982) is a retired American professional soccer midfielder/ defender who last played for the Washington Spirit of the American National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for the Washington Freed ...
(2005–2006, 2009) *
Shannon MacMillan Shannon Ann MacMillan (born October 7, 1974) is an American retired soccer player, coach, FIFA Women's World Cup champion, Olympic gold and silver medalist. Named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year for 2002, MacMillan played for the United Stat ...
(2004) *
Anne Mäkinen Anne Maarit Mäkinen (born 1 February 1976) is a Finnish former footballer who last played for Swedish club AIK in Stockholm. She was a central midfielder. Following her debut in June 1991, Mäkinen represented Finland a record 118 times, with ...
(2001–2002) *
Lene Mykjåland Lene Mykjåland (born 20 February 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who played for LSK Kvinner and the Norway women's national team, having made her debut for the senior team on 7 March 2007, in a 1–2 loss against Germany. Career Mykjåland s ...
(2010) *
Ella Masar Ella Copple Masar (formerly Ella Masar McLeod; born April 3, 1986) is an American-Canadian former professional soccer player who is currently an assistant coach for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously pl ...
(2008) * Jennifer Meier (2003) *
Sandra Minnert Sandra Minnert (born 7 April 1973) is a former German football defender. She played for SC 07 Bad Neuenahr and the German national team. Honours ;FSV Frankfurt *Bundesliga: Winner 1994–95, 1997–98 *DFB-Pokal: Winner 1991–92, 1994– ...
(2003) *
Heather Mitts Heather Mitts Feeley (born Heather Blaine Mitts; June 9, 1978) is an American former professional soccer defender. Mitts played college soccer for the University of Florida, and thereafter, she played professionally in the Women's Professional ...
(2004) *
Carmelina Moscato Carmelina Moscato (born May 2, 1984) is a Canadian soccer Manager (association football), coach and former professional Soccer player, player. She currently coaches Liga MX Femenil club Tigres UANL (women), Tigres UANL. She played as a centrebac ...
(2006) *
Siri Mullinix Siri Lynn Mullinix (born May 22, 1978) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper. As keeper for the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic soccer team, she recorded two shutouts helping the team win the silver medal. In 2010, Mullinix was inducted into the N ...
(2001–2003) *
Carla Overbeck Carla Werden Overbeck (; born May 9, 1968) is a retired American soccer player and longtime member and captain of the United States women's national soccer team. She is currently an assistant coach of Duke Blue Devils, Duke University's women's s ...
(2007) *
Pretinha Delma Gonçalves (born 19 May 1975), commonly known as Pretinha,In a June 199with Grant Wahl, Pretinha said her nickname means "little black girl" and that the reference to skin color is not considered problematic in Brazil. is a Brazilian profe ...
(2001) *
Pu Wei Pu Wei (; born August 20, 1980 in Shanghai) is a retired female Chinese football (soccer) player. A veteran of three World Cup tournaments and three Olympics, Pu Wei competed in USA 1999, USA 2003, China 2007, Sydney 2000 Olympics, Athens ...
(2002) *
Christie Rampone Christie Patricia Pearce (formerly Rampone; born June 24, 1975) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. She is the former captain of the United States national team. Pearce is a three-time Olympic gold medal ...
(2004) *
Tiffany Roberts Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak (born Tiffany Marie Roberts; May 5, 1977) is an American soccer coach, former defender, and Olympic gold medalist. She was also a member of the 1999 U.S. national team that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. She beca ...
(2005–2006) * Roseli (2001) * Chanté Sandiford (2007–2008) *
Briana Scurry Briana Collette Scurry (born September 7, 1971) is an American retired soccer goalkeeper, and assistant coach of the Washington Spirit . Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cu ...
(2009–2010) *
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 ...
(2006) * Sun Wen (2005) *
Cat Whitehill Catherine Reddick Whitehill (born Catherine Anne Reddick; February 10, 1982) is an American retired professional soccer defender, who was also an assistant coach of the Boston Breakers in the NWSL. Whitehill last played for the Boston Breakers ...
(2009–2010) *
Nicci Wright Nicole Cheri Wright (born 12 August 1972) is a Canadian soccer player who played as a goalkeeper for the Canada women's national soccer team. She was part of the team at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played for the Washington Freedom in ...
(2003–2006, 2009)


Hall of Freedom

In 2009, the Washington Freedom introduced the "Hall of Freedom", an honor bestowed upon former players and personnel "in recognition of exceptional achievements, dedication and service to the club." Current members of the Hall of Freedom are: *Jennifer Grubb, DF, 2001–2006, inducted July 24, 2010 *Mia Hamm, FW, 2001–2003, inducted May 3, 2009 *Steffi Jones, MF, 2002–2003, inducted July 5, 2009 *Siri Mullinix, GK, 2001–2003, inducted May 3, 2009 *David Vanole, goalkeeper coach, 2001–2003, inducted July 5, 2009


Most recent coaching staff

:''As of April 20, 2009.''


Year-by-year


Annual Performance record


Honors

* USL W-League Eastern Conference Champions 2008 * USL W-League Northeast Division Champions 2008 * USL W-League Champions 2007 * USL W-League Eastern Conference Champions 2007 * USL W-League Northeast Division Champions 2007 * WUSA Founders Cup Champions 2003


Competition history

The Washington Freedom was one of the eight professional soccer teams that played in the
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 ...
from 2001 to 2003. The team won the WUSA Founders Cup III in their final year, shortly before the league announced on September 15, 2003, that it was suspending operations. Unique among the WUSA teams, though, the Freedom maintained a continued existence, playing exhibition seasons in 2004 and 2005, then joining the
USL W-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...
in 2006 and winning the W-League Championship in 2007. The Freedom became a part of
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 ...
that launched in April 2009 and participated in that league in 2009 and 2010. The team was then sold, moved to Florida, and renamed MagicJack. Despite the addition of a professional team, the Freedom maintained an elite amateur team, which played in the W-League in 2009 and 2010, finishing second in the league in 2009.


Logo

Image:Washington freedom logo.png, Primary logo (2001–2008) Image:FreedomLogo09.PNG, Primary logo (2008–2011) File:Washington Freedom 2009.PNG, Secondary Logo (2008–2011)


Head coaches

* Jim Gabarra 2001–2010


Stadium

*
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, commonly known as RFK Stadium and originally known as District of Columbia Stadium, is a defunct multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C. It is located about due east of the U.S. Capitol building, near the ...
, Washington, D.C. 2001–2004, 2008–2010 *
Maryland SoccerPlex The Maryland SoccerPlex is a sports complex in Germantown, Maryland, although its mailing address is Boyds, Maryland. The facility, completed in 2000 and operated by the Maryland Soccer Foundation (MSF), has 21 natural grass fields, 3 artificial ...
,
Germantown, Maryland Germantown is an urbanized census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. With a population of 91,249 as of 2020 U.S. Decennial Census, Germantown is the third most populous place in Maryland, after the city of Baltimore ...
2004–2010 While in the WUSA, the Washington Freedom played their home games in RFK Stadium in Washington DC. Since the WUSA ended, the Washington Freedom has played most of their home matches at the Soccerplex in Maryland. They have, however, continued to play some games at RFK as doubleheaders with DC United. These include games as the Freedom Reserves in 2004, while in the W-League, and since joining the WPS. They played three doubleheaders in 2009 and one doubleheader in 2010.


See also

*
Women's professional sports Women's professional sports are a relatively new phenomenon, having largely emerged within the latter part of the 20th century. Unlike amateur women athletes, professional women athletes are able to acquire an income which allows them to earn a ...
*
List of soccer clubs in the United States This is a list of association football, soccer clubs in the United States. For clarity, teams based outside the United States that play in United States Soccer Federation, USSF-recognized leagues are also listed below, with their home country not ...
*
Women's association football Women's association football, more commonly known simply as women's football or women's soccer, is a team sport of association football when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries and 176 national te ...


References


External links


Official SiteWomen's Professional Soccer page
{{Washington Freedom Women's soccer clubs in the United States F Soccer clubs in Maryland Women's Professional Soccer teams USL W-League (1995–2015) teams Women's United Soccer Association teams Association football clubs established in 2001 2001 establishments in Washington, D.C. 2011 disestablishments in Maryland Association football clubs disestablished in 2011