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Stone to coach WUSA Atlanta team
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- Another broadcaster is making the leap to the sidelines. Like Ray Hudson of the Miami Fusion, former Duke University player Tom Stone is set to move down to the bench, taking over as coach of the WUSA team in Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The eight-team league is set to begin play in spring 2001. Stone currently serves as television color analyst for the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, the men's division-one league that has entered into a cooperative arrangement with the WUSA. The first WUSA coach was announced earlier in the week, with Jim Gabarra taking over the Washington, D.C., based side. None of the eight WUSA teams has yet been assigned a nickname. Stone, 34, has been the director of coaching for one of the most successful girls' programs in the nation -- the Colorado Rush youth association -- for the last nine years. Stone also coaches the Denver Diamonds of the amateur W-League. "I did feel this was the logical next step, just like I think professional soccer is the natural progression for women to take," the Dallas, Texas native told the newspaper. "I'm glad to be part of this exciting opportunity." Stone's playing career previously landed him in the French second division and with two A-League teams. He also served as a scout for the U.S. women's national team during the 1999 World Cup. He begins his work in Atlanta full-time in September, when he will begin grading players for an October draft. His roster already includes Olympians Cindy Parlow, Briana Scurry and Nikki Serlenga. "Tom's stellar coaching record is a huge advantage for the WUSA Atlanta," said Lynn Morgan, general manager of the franchise, which is operated by Cox Enterprises, Inc., the parent company of the Journal-Constitution. "We're thrilled to have him on board."
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