2007 USL W-League season
| Season | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Washington Freedom (1st Title) |
| Regular Season title | Ottawa Fury Women (1st Title) |
← 2006 2008 → | |
The 2007 W-League Season was the league's 13th.
The Washington Freedom finished the season as national champions, beating the Atlanta Silverbacks Women 3–1 in the W-League Championship game in Rochester, New York on 7 August 2007.
Ottawa Fury Women finished with the best regular season record in the league, winning 11 out of their 12 games, suffering no losses, and finishing with a +38 goal difference.
Changes from 2006 season
Name changes
Two teams changed their names: The Long Island Lady Riders changed their name to the Long Island Rough Riders, and the San Diego Lady Gauchos changed their name to the San Diego Sunwaves.
New teams
Three teams were added for the season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | Northern Virginia area | Fredericksburg, VA | expansion |
| Jersey Sky Blue | Northern New Jersey area | Madison, NJ | expansion |
| Washington Freedom | National Capital area | Washington, D.C. | associate member (former member of WUSA) |
Teams Leaving
Five teams folded after the 2006 season:
- Central Florida Krush
- Cincinnati Ladyhawks
- New Hampshire Lady Phantoms
- South Jersey Banshees
- Sudbury Canadians
Carolina Dynamo Women went on hiatus for this season.
Standings
Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched
Orange indicates bye into the W-League semifinals as hosts.
Central Conference
Atlantic Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 28 |
| 3 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 10 | +21 | 26 |
| 4 | Cocoa Expos Women | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 18[a] |
| 5 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 11 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 22 | −13 | 7[a] |
| 6 | Bradenton Athletics | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 32 | −23 | 4[a] |
| 7 | Fredericksburg Lady Gunners | 11 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 33 | −27 | 4[a] |
Notes:
Midwest Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lightning | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 8 | +19 | 31 |
| 2 | Michigan Hawks | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 13 | +14 | 25 |
| 3 | Cleveland Internationals Women | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 24 |
| 4 | Chicago Gaels | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 17 | +22 | 22 |
| 5 | London Gryphons | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 19 | 41 | −22 | 12 |
| 6 | Fort Wayne Fever | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 27 | −19 | 5 |
| 7 | West Michigan Firewomen | 12 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 25 | −18 | 4 |
Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Freedom | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 10 | +38 | 37 |
| 2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 6 | +42 | 36 |
| 3 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 28 | 26 | +2 | 22 |
| 4 | Boston Renegades | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 31 | −12 | 21 |
| 5 | New Jersey Wildcats | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 19 |
| 6 | Long Island Rough Riders | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 17 |
| 7 | New York Magic | 14 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 32 | −24 | 6 |
| 8 | Western Mass Lady Pioneers | 14 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 54 | −45 | 4 |
Northern Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 9 | +38 | 34 |
| 2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 23 |
| 3 | Laval Comets | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 10 | +25 | 22 |
| 4 | Rochester Rhinos Women | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 15 |
| 5 | Hamilton Avalanche | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 42 | −31 | 6 |
| 6 | Vermont Lady Voltage | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 47 | −38 | 6 |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Sunwaves | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 25 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 22 |
| 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 21 |
| 4 | Fort Collins Force | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 13 |
| 5 | Mile High Edge | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 26 | −10 | 11 |
| 6 | Real Colorado Cougars | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 18 | −7 | 11 |
Playoffs
Format
Four teams qualify from the Central Conference, six from the Eastern Conference, and two from the Western Conference.
The Division Winners in the Central Conference will play the second place team of the other division. In the Eastern Conference, the second and third place team in each division will play, with the winner of that match playing the top team in the other division. Finally, the two winners of the latter matches will play for the Eastern Conference championship. The top two teams in the Western Conference will play each other.
The Rochester Raging Rhinos automatically qualify for the W-League Semifinals as hosts. They will play the highest-ranked Conference Champion in their semifinal, with the other two Conference Champions will play in the other.
Conference Brackets
Central Conference
| Central Semifinals | Central Championship | ||||||||
| MW1 | Minnesota Lightning | 4 | |||||||
| AT2 | Richmond Kickers Destiny | 2 | |||||||
| MW1 | Minnesota Lightning | 2 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 5 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women (AET) | 4 | |||||||
| MW2 | Michigan Hawks | 2 | |||||||
Eastern Conference
| Eastern Divisional Round | Eastern Semifinals | Eastern Championship | ||||||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 6 | ||||||||||||
| NO2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 3 | NO2 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 1 | |||||||||
| NO3 | Laval Comets | 1 | NE1 | Washington Freedom | 1 | |||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 0 | ||||||||||||
| NO1 | Ottawa Fury Women | 4 | ||||||||||||
| NE2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 3 | NE2 | Jersey Sky Blue | 0 | |||||||||
| NE3 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 1 | ||||||||||||
Western Conference
| Western Finals | ||||
| W1 | San Diego Sunwaves | 1 | ||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 2 | ||
W-League Championship Bracket
| Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 3 | |||||||
| H | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 0 | |||||||
| NE1 | Washington Freedom | 3 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 1 | |||||||
| AT1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4 | |||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 1 | Consolation | ||||||
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 2 | |||||||
| H | Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1 | |||||||
Divisional Round
| Toronto Lady Lynx | 3–1 | Laval Comets |
|---|---|---|
| Marton Ramsdale Morra Harrison |
(Report) | Gagné Busque Bilodeau |
| Jersey Sky Blue | 3–1 | Northern Virginia Majestics |
|---|---|---|
| DiPaolo Dickenmann Griffin |
(Report) | Banks |
Conference semifinals
| Washington Freedom | 6–1 | Toronto Lady Lynx |
|---|---|---|
| Lindsey Welsh Watson Hammond Porto |
(Report) | Harrison Romagnuolo Allysha Chapman |
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4–0 | Michigan Hawks |
|---|---|---|
| Steinmann Harbrueger |
(Report) | Delvecchio |
| Minnesota Lightning | 4–2 (AET) | Richmond Kickers Destiny |
|---|---|---|
| Mueller Smith |
(Report) | Grier Sauerbrunn J. Parsons Stephens-David |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 4–0 | Jersey Sky Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Jeffers Laue Hamel |
(Report) |
Conference finals
| Minnesota Lightning | 2–5 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Storlien (coach) |
(Report) | Latham Schneider Davey Harbrueger Eriksson Hall |
| Ottawa Fury Women | 0–1 | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| McCormack Hamel |
(Report) | Welsh Huffman |
| San Diego Sunwaves | 1–2 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Epsten |
(Report) | Bridges Patterson |
W-League Semifinals
| Atlanta Silverbacks Women | 4–1 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Latham Minnax Buff Steinmann |
(Report) | Patterson |
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 0–3 | Washington Freedom |
|---|---|---|
| Kruze Russell |
(Report) | Huffman Moros Lindsey |
W-League Third-Place Game
| Rochester Raging Rhinos | 1–2 | Seattle Sounders Women |
|---|---|---|
| Kinmond Bybee |
Report | Arrant Slawson Smith |
W-League Final
| Washington Freedom | 3–1 | Atlanta Silverbacks Women |
|---|---|---|
| Moros Welsh McCarty |
(Report) | Schneider Davey Buff Harbrueger |