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FC Gold Pride

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FC Gold Pride
Full nameFC Gold Pride
FoundedSeptember 3, 2008
DissolvedNovember 16, 2010
StadiumPioneer Stadium, Hayward, California
Capacity5,000[1]
Coordinates37°39′26.27″N 122°3′38.41″W / 37.6572972°N 122.0606694°W / 37.6572972; -122.0606694
LeagueWomen's Professional Soccer
20101st, WPS Playoff Champions

FC Gold Pride was an American professional women's soccer club based in the San Francisco Bay Area, which participated in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association as the top-level women's soccer team in the San Francisco Bay Area. FC Gold Pride moved to its final home of Pioneer Stadium on the campus of CSU East Bay in June 2010 after opening their 2010 home schedule at the Castro Valley High School Athletic Stadium. The club ceased operations in November 2010, two years before the WPS folded, after struggling financially and unable to find new investors.[2]

Team history

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Founding

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FC Gold Pride was founded on September 3, 2008, as the seventh and final team to join the new top-tier Women's Professional Soccer league. The team was owned by a group led by Brian and Nancy NeSmith, the former being the CEO of Sunnyvale-based internet technology company Blue Coat Systems.[3] Former San Jose Clash midfielder and local youth coach Albertin Montoya was named the team's first head coach, while former CyberRays and Brazil national team player Sissi was announced as the team's first assistant coach on September 29, 2008.[4]

On November 13, 2008, the team announced that it would play its home matches at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, which it shared with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer as well as the Santa Clara University soccer teams.[5][6] The team revealed its official name of FC Gold Pride, and its logo of a lioness, to the public for the first time on November 19, 2008.[6]

On September 16, 2008, WPS conducted its initial player allocation of United States national team players. The league allocated Nicole Barnhart, Leslie Osborne, and Rachel Buehler to FC Gold Pride.[7] On September 24, 2008, the league allocated a further four players to the Bay Area via the 2008 WPS International Draft: strikers Christine Sinclair (Canada) and Eriko Arakawa (Japan), and Brazilian midfielder Formiga and defender Érika. The Pride signed a one-year deal with Formiga in February 2009,[8] as well as Arakawa, post-draft discovery pick Adriane (Brazil),[9] Érika, and Sinclair.[10]

At the 2009 WPS Draft, FC Gold Pride drafted three former college players: UCLA midfielder Christina DiMartino, Notre Dame defender Carrie Dew, and Penn State forward Tiffany Weimer. Also amongst the 2009 draftees was former United States national team star Brandi Chastain.[11]

2009 WPS season

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See also: 2009 FC Gold Pride season

FC Gold Pride won their inaugural WPS game against the Boston Breakers on April 5, 2009.[12] The club remained in strong contention until defender Kandace Wilson was injured during a home game against the Los Angeles Sol. After that, FC Gold Pride's second loss at the hands of the Washington Freedom 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 draftee Greer Barnes, elevating developmental player Marisa Abegg 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 ended in a 1–1 draw.[13] The club finally snapped its ten-game winless streak with a final 3–2 win against the Washington Freedom on August 1, 2009.[14] However, a last loss to Sky Blue FC and a tie with Saint Louis Athletica did not allow FC Gold Pride to avoid finishing last in the WPS standings.

2009–10 off-season moves

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The only player FC Gold Pride lost to the 2009 WPS Expansion Draft was defender Leigh Ann Robinson, chosen by the Atlanta Beat.[15] Over the course of the offseason, the club traded Allison Whitworth to the Beat for the 10th- and 12th-overall picks in the 2010 WPS Draft,[16] lost team co-captain Leslie Osborne[17] and assists leader Tiffany Weimer to the Boston Breakers in free agency,[18] loaned Eriko Arakawa back to her former Nadeshiko League club NTV Beleza for the remainder of her WPS contract,[19] waived contract options for Adriane, Érika, and Formiga,[20] and in February 2010 also waived Brandi Chastain.[21]

The club signed Canadian player Candace Chapman on October 8, 2009,[22] and after scouting the 2009 UEFA Women's Championship, the club signed Norwegian international Solveig Gulbrandsen on December 10.[23]

FC Gold Pride acquired Los Angeles Sol player Camille Abily in exchange for midfielder Tina DiMartino, FC Gold Pride's top 2009 WPS Draft pick, and the 14th-overall pick in the 2010 draft and rights to a 2009 international discovery player.[24] In the 2010 WPS Draft, FC Gold Pride selected 2009 Hermann Trophy winner Kelley O'Hara, New Zealand international Ali Riley, and 2008 U-20 World Cup champions Becky Edwards and Kaley Fountain, among others.[25]

The Los Angeles Sol ceased operations not long afterward, and in the ensuing 2010 WPS Dispersal Draft FC Gold Pride acquired Marta, Kiki Bosio, and Lindsay Browne.[26] The club separately signed another Los Angeles Sol goalkeeper Brittany Cameron as a free agent.[27]

2010 season

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See also: 2010 FC Gold Pride season

FC Gold Pride started fast and kept its momentum running throughout the 2010 season. Despite the departure of Solveig Gulbrandsen 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, 4–0.[28] Three members of the team garnered end of season honors: Marta was named Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot, both for the second consecutive season; Nicole Barnhart was named Goalkeeper of the Year; and Ali Riley 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.[29][30]

Players

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See also: List of FC Gold Pride players

Team captains

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All-time records

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Only competitive matches (regular season and playoffs) are counted. Wins, draws, and losses are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shoot-outs are not counted.
Season-by-season results
Season League Manager Nat. From To P W D L GF GA Place Playoffs
2009 WPS Albertin Montoya United States USA Sep 3, 2008 Sep 26, 2010 20 4 6 10 17 28 7th DNQ
2010 WPS 25 17 5 3 50 19 1st Champions
Total 45 21 11 13 67 47
Team records[33][34]

WPS awards

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Home stadiums

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Almond, Elliott (December 16, 2009). "Gold Pride moving from Buck Shaw to Cal State East Bay". The Mercury News. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  2. ^ Almond, Elliott (November 15, 2010). "WPS champion FC Gold Pride will fold after failing to find investors". Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "History". FC Gold Pride. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Coaching Staff". FC Gold Pride. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  5. ^ "Buck Shaw Stadium / San Jose Earthquakes". Soccer Stadium Digest. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  6. ^ a b "WPS Bay Area Team To Play At Buck Shaw Stadium" (Press release). Santa Clara Broncos. November 19, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  7. ^ Goff, Steven (16 September 2008). "WPS Allocation List". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  8. ^ Elliot, Almond (3 February 2009). "FC Gold Pride signs No. 1 pick Formiga". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 3 February 2009.
  9. ^ "Three More Players Sign with FC Gold Pride". FC Gold Pride. 13 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  10. ^ "FC Gold Pride Signs Canada's All-Time Leading Goal Scorer Christine Sinclair". FC Gold Pride. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  11. ^ "2009 WPS Draft Results" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Milbrett's strike lifts FC Gold Pride to 2–1 win over Boston Breakers" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  13. ^ "FC Gold Pride Sees Post-Season Campaign End After 1–1 Tie in Saint Louis" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. July 26, 2009. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  14. ^ "FC Gold Pride Earns Long Awaited Victory at Home, Defeats Freedom 3–2" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. August 1, 2009. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  15. ^ "Atlanta, Philadelphia begin stocking rosters through Expansion Draft" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. September 15, 2009. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  16. ^ "Pride Acquires 10th and 12th Overall Draft Picks In Team's First-Ever Trade" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. October 29, 2009. Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Kassouf, Jeff (October 20, 2009). "Osborne agrees to terms with Breakers". The Equalizer. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  18. ^ Civin, Todd (October 8, 2009). "Breakers Agree to Terms with Free Agents Weimer and Sutton". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  19. ^ "FC Gold Pride Finalizes Player Loan Agreement With NTV Beleza" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "Transactions: 2009". Women's Professional Soccer. November 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  21. ^ "Transactions: 2010". Women's Professional Soccer. December 21, 2010. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "Pride Agrees to Terms with Free Agent Candace Chapman" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. October 8, 2009. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  23. ^ "Norwegian Soccer Star Solveig Gulbrandsen Signs with FC Gold Pride" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. December 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  24. ^ "FC Gold Pride Acquires WPS All-Star Camille Abily" (Press release). FC Gold Pride. January 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 11, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  25. ^ "Heath selected first in 2010 WPS Draft" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. January 15, 2010. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  26. ^ "Four-Time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta to Join the Pride" (Press release). Women's Professional Soccer. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  27. ^ "Pride Signs Bay Area Native Brittany Cameron". FC Gold Pride (Press release). February 16, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  28. ^ "FC Gold Pride wins WPS Championship". Women's Professional Soccer. 26 September 2010. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  29. ^ FitzGerald, Tom (10 January 2011). "FC Gold Pride to fold". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  30. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - WPS lives on looks toward future". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  31. ^ Salazar, Jo-Ryan (September 26, 2010). "FC Gold Pride: A Salute of Redemption to the Lionesses of the East Bay". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  32. ^ "Gold Pride alone atop WPS after 1-0 win over Sky Blue". Center Line Soccer. May 2, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  33. ^ "FC Gold Pride Stats". Women's Professional Soccer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010.
  34. ^ "2010 FC Gold Pride Stats". Women's Professional Soccer. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010.
  35. ^ "Pride Announces New Home Stadium". Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
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