By Scott French, Senior Editor

HALFWAY THROUGH: The WUSA's All-Star Week, roughly halfway through the campaign, arrived with the tightest race in league history, with the top four teams separated by a point.

Boston (5-3-2) in on top with 17 points, and Atlanta (4-2-4), Washington (5-3-1) and New York (5-5-1) have 16. San Diego (3-3-4, 13 points) is only three points further back, and San Jose (4-6-0, 12 points) and rejuvenated Carolina and Philadelphia (both 3-5-2, 11 points) are right behind.

Only New York has passed its season's midpoint, having played 11 of 21 games. Washington, which has played only nine, has a game in hand over the remainder of the field.

Everybody played shorthanded during the weekend games, their top U.S. players in Salt Lake City for the U.S.-Ireland friendly (and Atlanta's Homare Sawa playing for Japan at the AFC Women's Championship in Thailand).

NOT AN ALL-STAR?: Carolina striker Danielle Fotopoulos, enjoying an extraordinary season, answered her All-Star snub Wednesday night by destroying Washington — and American Stars all-star coach Jim Gabarra — for the second time.

The following day, Commissioner Tony DiCicco selected Fotopoulos — the WUSA's all-time points leader and tied for the scoring lead this year — as a ''commissioner's pick'' for Thursday's All-Star Game in Cary, N.C.

Fotopoulos scored a goal and assisted one of Birgit Prinz's pair in Wednesday's 3-0 victory. She scored three goals with five assists against the Freedom this season, including a two goals and three assists in the Courage's 5-2 romp in Washington on May 17.

DOUBLE ZEROES: The arrival of midweek play brought the season's first scoreless tie. New York and Philly shared the points.

Carolina and Atlanta scored no goals Saturday.

The Charge and Courage, who slumped to start the season, each extended unbeaten streaks to four games this week. Philadelphia won its first home game Saturday, beating San Diego on an early Rhi Tanaka own goal and Marinette Pichon's seventh strike of the season.

BEST GOAL: Emily Janss' volley, from a sweet Margaret Tietjen cross, started the Power toward its 3-1 victory over visiting San Jose Saturday. Christie Welsh added two second-half goals and goalkeeper Saskia Webber set a team record for consecutive shutout minutes before Katie Antongiovanni's first WUSA goal ended the CyberRays' goalless streak at 292 minutes.

MORE ALL-STARS: Injuries added three more all-stars for Thursday's game.

Atlanta defender Nancy Augustyniak joined the American Stars roster in place of Carolina's Danielle Slaton, who has been dealing with articular knee damage since her days at Santa Clara University. It's a painful condition that requires careful management, and Slaton has done abbreviated work this season while keeping her Women's World Cup hopes burning.

The World Stars picked up a pair of defenders, Boston's Monica Gonzalez and Carolina's Breanna Boyd, who stepped in for a pair of ailing CyberRays. Defender Dianne Alagich has just returned from a strained left knee, and midfielder Sissi is out with a separated rib.

ATTENDANCE WATCH: The second-smallest crowd in WUSA history, only 2,369, watched New York's 0-0 tie with Philadelphia on Wednesday night in Uniondale, N.Y. Three days later, the Power drew its largest home crowd of the season, 5,727, for its win over San Jose.

Carolina's largest home crowd of the season, 6,124, watched the Courage's win over Washington on Wednesday.

The league average, over 40 games, is 6,526.

WUSA SUMMARIES WEEK 11: Five games, six shutouts

June 11 at Cary, N.C.
CAROLINA (3-5-1, 10 points) 3 WASHINGTON (5-3-1, 16 points) 0.
Goals: Fotopoulos (James, Burt) 4, Prinz (Fotopoulos) 67, Prinz (Burt) 75.
Att.: 6,124.

June 11 at Uniondale, N.Y.
NEW YORK (4-5-1, 13 points) 0 PHILADELPHIA (2-5-2, 8 points) 0.
Att.: 2,369.

June 14 at Villanova, Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (3-5-2, 11 points) 2 SAN DIEGO (3-3-4, 13 points) 0.
Goals: own goal Tanaka 12, Pichon (Hoffmann, Benson) 31.
Att.: 6,345.

June 14 at Cary, N.C.
CAROLINA (3-5-2, 11 points) 0 ATLANTA (4-2-4, 16 points) 0.
Att.: 5,285.

June 14 at Uniondale, N.Y.
NEW YORK (5-5-1, 16 points) 3 SAN JOSE (4-6-0, 12 points) 1.
Goals: Janss (Tietjen, Rapp) 21, Welsh (Pearman) 73, Welsh (Boxx, Salisbury) 91+; Antongiovanni (Pretinha) 84.
Att.: 5,727.