The New York Power was an American professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional soccer league for women in the United States. The team played at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, New York. The team played from 2001 to 2003 when the league ceased operations. History On February 15, 2000, it was announced that the first professional women's soccer league would be formed by a number of major U.S. media companies and individual investors in response to the successful and hugely popular U.S. women's national soccer team who had won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. Time Warner Cable invested $5,000,000 for the operating rights for a team in the New York market. In addition to the upfront financial investment, league investors also provided resources for staff, facilities, and promotional efforts via cable television. Team name and stadium unveiled On November 16, 2000, the league announced the names of the eight teams admitted in the league. The New York Power was announced as the team name for the New York area with games to be played at the 10,000 capacity Mitchel Athletic Complex, a multi-purpose athletic facility located in Uniondale, New York. The team name was selected by team's front office with the slogan "Get emPOWERed" used in promotional materials. Inaugural season The Power began play in 2001 during the inaugural season of the WUSA. The team finished the regular season with a 9–7–5 record third in the standings. They reached the semi-finals in the playoffs where they faced the Bay Area CyberRays and lost 3–2. Average attendance for the club's home games during the 2001 season was 5,724. Tiffeny Milbrett was the leading scorer on the team with 16 goals on the season. She also led the team in points (35), shots (73), shots on goal (42), and game-winning goals (4). Goalkeeper Gao Hong recorded 87 saves with a 1.11 goals against average (GAA). 2002 season During the league's second season, the Power finished last in the regular season standings with a 3–17–1 record. The club had a rough time recovering from a number of injuries and the retirement of Norwegian defender Gro Espeseth, who departed after the inaugural season. Goalkeeper Gao Hong, defender Christie Pearce and defender-midfielder Sara Whalen all suffered injuries destabilizing the team. In July, head coach Pat Farmer was fired after the team lost many more games