I month worth of games if they play every week is probably 4 games. 5 if there is a mid week game. If you figured that part of the games in the month will be away, we are talking about playing 2-3 games max at a different location. I don't quite see the problem with that especially if it is promoted right and all the teams are playing at the same location. It could even serve as a kind of preseason kick off to the regular season.
I'm all for preseason tournaments (especially in non-league locations) - except if they're occurring at the expense of/in place of regular season action.
I'm all for growing the league. So if doing some games at different locations that will not take away from hometown interest, then OK. I have said before that I think an All-Star game in a non-NWSL city should be looked at. Wouldn't an NWSL All-Star game vs. a European team like Tyreso or Lyon be cool in Los Angeles or maybe Orlando? But then I would want a game like that in Portland.
Well, the club game in Europe has grown leaps and bounds even since the '09 WPS All-Star game; I wouldn't be surprised if Team NWSL beat the UEFA team, but I wouldn't be surprised if the opposite occurred, too. Besides, NWSL Champ vs UEFA Champ, while a matchup I would also like to see as a pre- or in-season friendly, wouldn't be an All-Star game. ....and we've gone way off-topic. Instead of finding out how to fit the regular season into less total gameweeks, we're trying to add games.
I agree fully with this. In terms of whether to thin out the schedule during the WWC or to have a short gap, I leave that up to the League. They need to do whatever will be most economically healthy for the League. But MRAD12 is right, teams need to be able to field rosters that do not include the NT players. And, I'm betting its something that the regular bench players look forward to.
While five weeks r too long, two weeks is too short. Teams will want a camp before the tournament, so add at least a week. Plus ur not only talking allocated players. Ur talking most of the internationals as well. Seattle for example could lose up to 8 player who by league rules they can only replaced with amateurs. As for how long they r gone compared to games played, Adriana Martin was gone for about a month for Euros even tho Spain played four games. The teams in the NWSL have basically one income source and if there was a significant drop in attendance for a month it impacts the entire season.
All-star games suck by nature. Also in a league dominated by USNT players u dont want to set up NT vs club. Im all for bringing over good clubs from Europe and Japan and letting them play NWSL teams. Would u be more interested in an All-Star teams playing Lyon or the seeing how the Red Stars stacked up against Lyon at Toyota Park?
Why? That will just increase their costs. If they have 2 weeks off, they could give the players 1 week off, then resume normal training. So they only have to pay for 1 extra week of costs. That's why you have a reserve squad. With the normal roster being up to 20 players, if you loose 8, you still have 12 players. Call up 4 from your reserve side (which will be amateur), and you have 5 off the bench. (Of course, the league could also amend the rules by then to allow for paid players to be called in) Well they'll have to do some cost analysis to decide which would cost them more. Potential attendance drops (I still think if they schedule and promote it right, teams could still have a good turnout) or guaranteed extra weeks of paying player salaries, coach/trainer salaries, and facility fees.
NTs dont care that it costs more...they r interested in the WC not the effect on the clubs. At the London Olympics the team arrived on July 12 ahead of a July 25 opening match. Canada will likely pull out of the league just to concentrate on the impossible dream. What this comes down to is what hurts them more. Does time off with no games hurt them more than playing less talented teams for up to a month. Personally I like gap. Fans get all pumped up by WC and come out in droves for the end of the season. That's just me. If they try and play thru it u not only offer an inferior product for the same money, but a lot of those games will be up against WC matches on FOX.
Who said anything about NTs? I'm talking about the NWSL teams caring about the costs. That's what I just said. You assume that's gonna happen. But what happens if the USWNT doesn't win? It could completely kill any momentum. Not if you schedule it correctly. As I said, we already know the dates of the games. If they can't schedule around them 2 years in advance (when they haven't even come out with the 2014 schedule yet) something is wrong. Plus I think the possibility of group viewing of the USWNT games after an NWSL game would be a good draw, if they market it well (you'd have to have US Soccer on board, spreading the word). I know they've done those for other sports in the US. In LA they've had them at Staples Center for Lakers and Kings playoff games when they are away and there wasn't even a live match for the people to see in the first place, people showed up just to watch the teams play on the video screen and to cheer along with fellow fans.
All decisions in the NWSL r made with NT considerations first. Yes, a good schedule would reduce the damage but after the debacle last year I have little faith in that. Theyd be better off to plan ahead than hope for the best.
Tell that to an NWSL owner. I doubt they would agree to loose extra money for the sake of the NTs. Last year's schedule was hastily done. Lets see if they do any better this year before writing them off. Yes, and what your suggesting is to hope for the best. There is no guarantee that there will be increased attendance after the WWC to offset the cost of the extra weeks with no income. The best thing to plan for is season ticket holders. If a team has a decent base of season ticket holders (i.e. enough to cover costs), then it wouldn't matter if teams play with 11 amateurs and no bench at the same time as the WWC final since they've already got the money in the bank. Of course, that's not likely to happen except in Portland and maybe Houston. But it's something that a team can do that will be much more concrete than hoping the USWNT wins and attendance increases.
Bumping this thread (two months is stretching it, icch sorry!) since an idea popped into my head a few minutes ago - so it's unpolished, but just thought I'd throw it out there: Season still officially runs 19 weeks, same time frame, but the regular season is just two games per opponent, not three - which would be 16 games at the current # of teams, maybe 18 if expansion happens. You account for the WWC by taking a complete 3- or 4-week break from regular season games. Then while the 'best' players are with their NTs, NWSL runs a cup competition with invited WPSL and W-League teams, a sort of higher-profile Open Cup than the one currently run by USASA. (I vaguely remember starting their own Open Cup competition was one of the six 'suggestions for NWSL' someone published last last year.)
The first step in any rehabilitation program is admitting u have a problem. Im totally convinced the NWSL doesnt see this as more than an inconvenience. Not only r the best players going to be gone for at least a month, but teams r going to be trying to compete against WC games on tv.
Well, WPS basically handled the 2011 WWC well enough that I'm sure that's what NWSL is thinking to do as well. Thing is, there are 50% more teams now that in 2011 - maybe more if someone else joins in the coming offseason.
As I already said, not if they schedule it correctly. There is no reason why they couldn't avoid conflicting times if they actually tried.
I have a vision of nwsl team playing and then fans sticking around for a WWC match on the big screen. As near as I can tell the times would be compatible. It would work in Portland. During the last Men's WC there was an event in Director Park in midtown PDX nearby on a big screen and then a timbers game. There isn't any reason that couldn't happen at Providence PK.
Why even acknowledge the WWC? The league should just act like it doesn't exist. When the players get back from their WWC service, don't even salute them, even if they win the WWC. Just go about the league as usual. Same as always. Business as usual. Because acknowledging the WWC in 2011 did not do WPS any good. They failed and closed shop right after that. Might as well try something different this time.