Formation and Inaugural Success (2000-2001)
The Bay Area CyberRays were founded in 2000 as a member of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). Featuring stars from the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including Brandi Chastain, Tisha Venturini, and LaKeysia Beene, the team embarked on their inaugural season in 2001. The team played their home games at Spartan Stadium.
The CyberRays made history by clinching the first WUSA title, known as the Founders Cup, in their debut season. The triumph came in a 4–2 shootout victory over the Atlanta Beat after double overtime of a 3–3 game. Both San Jose professional soccer teams, women’s and men’s, secured championship titles, the only time this has happened.
Name Change and Challenges (2002-2003) In 2002, the team underwent changes, renaming itself the San Jose CyberRays. Despite giving their roster a facelift, the team faced challenges, finishing out of the playoffs. The emergence of Katia, who broke records with 15 goals in the season, was a bright spot.
The CyberRays faced difficulties in 2003, primarily due to an anemic offense, missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Simultaneously, financial struggles plagued the WUSA. On September 15, 2003, the league announced the suspension of operations, leading to the folding of the CyberRays.
The team played its home games at San Jose State University’s Spartan Stadium. The stadium, which hosted the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, featured a grass field and a capacity of up to 30,456.
Legacy and Demise In their relatively short existence, the CyberRays left an indelible mark on women’s professional soccer and the team enjoyed success as part of the early narrative of women’s professional soccer in the U.S.
The demise of the WUSA marked the end of the CyberRays, but women’s pro soccer returned to the Bay Area in 2009 with FC Gold Pride, and Bay FC, who begin play in 2024.
2001 Roster/Stats
| Player | Pos. | Hometown | GP | GS | G | A | Pts | FC | FS | Y | R | OFF | Shts | S% | SOG | SG% |
| Dianne Alagich | M,D | Adelaide, Australia | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| LaKeysia Beene | G | Shaw AFB, SC USA | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Christina Bell | D/M,F | Santa Rosa, CA | 16 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 11.1 | 14 | 14.3 |
| Brandi Chastain | M,D,M/D,F/D | San Jose, CA | 19 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6.5 | 17 | 11.8 |
| Kim Clark | F,F/M | Panama City, FL USA | 16 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 9.1 | 4 | 25 |
| Ann Cook | M | Springfield, MO | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Carey Dorn | M/D,M | Seoul, South Korea | 19 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Megan Horvath | F | Kansas City, MO USA | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Venus James | M | Oakland, CA USA | 11 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Megan Jeidy | M | Greensboro, NC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Katia | F | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 20 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 39 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 9.3 | 46 | 15.2 |
| Linda Kurtyka | M | Point Pleasant, NJ | ||||||||||||||
| Kelly Lindsey | D | Omaha, NE USA | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Jacqui Little | F/M,F | Heerlen, Netherlands | 15 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12.5 | 4 | 25 |
| Julie Murray | F | Adelaide, Australia | 19 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 16 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 23.7 | 24 | 37.5 |
| Lisa Nanez | M,D | Santa Clara, CA USA | 18 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gina Oceguera | D/F | Mountain View, CA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sissi | M | Esplanada, Brazil | 21 | 20 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2.4 | 24 | 4.2 |
| Thori Staples Bryan | D | Baltimore, MD | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Janine Szpara | G | San Jose, CA USA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tisha Venturini-Hoch | M | Modesto, CA | 19 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 15.8 | 10 | 30 |
| Theresa Wagner | M | Seattle, WA | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |