U.S. will have 24 fed paid players. Canada will have up to 16 (max) fed paid players. Mexico will have at least 12 (minimum) fed paid, but possibly up to 16 (max). Maybe by 2014, the league can get Brazil to pay for at least 8 players toward the league. Adding some Brazilian players from their national pool, would make this league be the ultimate Western Hemisphere league. I still think some internationals will come over from the Eastern part of the globe. Look for at least 6 combined Australian and New Zealand players to come over (in addition to Ali Riley). Look for at least 3-4 combined Asian (mostly Japan, but maybe one Chinese) players to come over. It would be good to get Miyama and Sawa back. I think they would play for respectable pay. That's almost 10 internationals there. Add in a couple of Brazilians, Colombians, and Costa Ricans here and there, and that's around 15. I still think some young and talented players from lesser ranked European countries will come over (Ireland, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Switzerland, Netherlands, etc). I don't think we'll hardly see anyone come over from Germany, France, England, Norway, Italy, or Spain, since they have pro leagues in those countries. It would be nice to get Vero back. Laura Del Rio as well. Some Spanish flair to the league. Would love to see Bompastor back. She was perfect as a Euro player in an American pro league. Abily was great in this league. Schelin is a pipe dream for this league (she didn't play in WPS). But I doubt any of the big time Euro stars from the best Euro countries will come over. Maybe a slim shot at Kelly Smith and/or Alex Smith? They enjoyed playing in WPS. Kelly Smith shouldn't cost as much with her age and such. But I doubt they come back over and play in this league. We'd be very lucky to get some (any combination) of these internationals: Vero - Veronica Boquete (Spain) Laura Del Rio (Spain) Laura Kalmari (Finland) Lisa De Vanna (Austraia) (Aussie W-League takes place in American league off-season) Sarah Walsh (Australia) Kyah Simon (Australia) Samantha Kerr (Australia) Collette McCallum (Australia) Emily Van Egmund (Australia) Tameka Butt (Australia) Caitlin Foord (Australia) Servet Unzular (Australia) Ali Riley (New Zealand - wouldn't count as an international) Ria Percival (New Zealand) Katie Hoyle (New Zealand) Rebecca Smith (New Zealand) Sarah Gregorius (New Zealand) Betsy Hassett (New Zealand) Ramona Bachmann (Switzerland - doubtful) Fabiana (Brazil) Rosana (Brazil) Sissi (Brazil - age 52) Eniola Aluko (England) - she enjoyed playing in WPS, and was very successful) Aya Miyama (Japan) Homare Sawa (Japan) Mami Yamaguchi (Japan) Karen Bardsley (England) The league would be very fortunate to get at least ten players from that list.
this league's payroll is smaller. faby left because she wasn't willing to take another paycut in boston. erika won't be back either. maybe they could draw thais, bruna, amanda, wiggers, debora or some of the other young talent. it will be interesting to see if rincon from colombia would play stateside. costa rica has some really good girls. i'd like to see 2 or 3 of them, esp their keeper.
Actually most of those minor leagues are so much of recruitning ground for the closer major European leagues that I doubt you get more players from thrm than from Germany, France, England, Sweden. Apart from Icleland which is as long from Europe as US, and possibly for Spain (the pro league status you gave of Italy and Spain is very questionabel) since Spanish seem to be more usefull in the US than in Europe outside of Spain, you probably only get the european players interestd in an adventure or a change of suroundings (there will always be some).
Hope was pretty fed up with WPS toward the end. I could see her skipping this league entirely unless US Soccer requires her to play for it.
It could be interesting. This clearly isn't WPS, so her hate isn't towards it. She was very active in helping sell the Sounders Women last year. So she will get behind a team if she likes them. Of course USSF chose the other Seattle team instead of the Sounders Women, so maybe she will have hate for the league.
True, but isn't the Sounders Womens old GM kind of credited with bringing Hope, Alex, etc onto the team last year? She works for Predmore and the new team now, maybe she will have some pull.
OK, proof that I'm not totally crazy in questioning whether Solo is a "lock": http://espn.go.com/espnw/commentary/8690351/espnw-hope-solo-future-new-coach-uncertain
Beau, I think we already have sufficient proof that you are totally crazy, but perhaps not on this issue. I'd like to say a word in her behalf Hope Solo makes me laugh {I'm sure someone here could do a nice job of writing lyrics to the song, "How do you solve a problem like Hope Solo?" Many of the lines could remain unchanged. }
An ESPNW article by a journalist who has no proof other than vague assertions of dissent and most of it her own speculation? And the one player who did comment saying 'as long as she does her job, she's fine' i.e. the same thing for everyone from Morgan down? Naeher, Harris, Loyden - sorry, none of them are close to Solo either earlier or now and it's pretty obvious by watching the Frauen Bundesliga games. Goalkeepers gain their prime later. 34 is well within the prime years, and the journalist who wrote this asking if that was too old, makes me laugh. Is she perhaps thinking of the prime years for a field player instead? Someone making that mistake hurts their credibility. Like everyone else, the biggest problem will be injury. As for new goalkeepers, of course, new ones should be brought in and capped. I'd really like to see the young ones - Oliver, Campbell, Henninger, French - get some caps, go in for training, etc., for gk development. Harris could be developed as an actual backup rather than the fringe she is now.
Doesn't play balls well that come from angles because of her stature, seems ok, when balls are hit straight at her, since she has good reaction time.
A couple of issues: 1. I'm not sure how much Solo even wants to play in the new league. 2. Solo had to overcome an injury ordeal to play in 2011 and 2012. (And yes, let's not forget, she played extraordinarily well.) Does she need more time to heal? 3. Is Stevens really dead set on living in Tampa? Will he have to live in Florida under terms of his probation? Will Solo want to stay with him rather than playing elsewhere? 4. Will Solo's past injuries shorten her playing career or extend it? I don't know. And neither do the lemmings on Twitter (not you, Katreus) branding everyone who raises such questions a "hater."
Hope seems to have trouble on hard hit low line drives (almost grounders) that are struck real hard and have gone under her into the goal.
Oh, this I agree. She had a lot of problems with the WPS run league. Not sure how well run USSF will run the new league. But IMO, she's going to be a salaried USWNT player. Maybe not as much if she doesn't play in the league. Think she's okay now on this. It's not like she's getting really tested in the Victory Tour and there's been a fair amoutn of downtime. Apparently they did already had a fight about this... Solo seems pretty adamant about what she wants to do, including where she wants to play. Right. Injury and performance will be the deal breaker. Off the field is, as Rapinoe said, off the field unless it affects her performance on the field. To be fair, every goal keeper does. I've rarely seen GKs handle that well because basically it's guess work at that point.
I suspect it's going to be number 1 that's make or break. She's a real bullheaded person. If she decides she wants in, who's going to stop her? Likewise, how are they going to make her if she doesn't?
The problem is that your message was an an assertion that the article on ESPNW supported your feeling and statements that Hope Solo will probably not play in the league and might even retire. The article was just a list of the same unsupported assertions. Two people guessing is not proof, both in the media or on twitter.
No, it supported my assertion that I'm not crazy. Unless she and I are both crazy. Which is possible. We're not entirely sure about that fight, since Solo's telling us all not to believe anything. But if they did ... who won? Honestly, I have no idea what's going to happen. Her situation right now is just volatile. She published a memoir epilogue in August that spelled out a few things for her future, and those things had gone in a completely different direction by November. So maybe she plays in the league. But my original objection still stands -- there is no way we can call it a "lock."
Beau Dure That might be yours (the new league) but the one that most people are responding to is the ESPNW article which is asserting that Solo might not even be in the picture for the USWNT and Sermanni. BTW - http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/classic/awards/01/56/65/61/awards_women_player.pdf Sermani voted Solo 2nd in 2011 for Ballon d'Or - after Homare Sawa. His third is Aya Miyama. (Actually the whole thing is amazing to look at. Sinclair and Rampone don't vote for any of the Americans, Soubeyrand tosses a 1st place at Wambach before voting for her French teammates, Angerer tosses the usual at Sawa before plugging her own teammate Garefrekes, Sawa votes her teammate Miyama then fills the rest with Americans Wambach and Solo... In fact, none of the American votes go to any Americans. This list is ridiculously amazing to look at.)
Sort of. The thread started before that article. I'm sure Sermanni recognizes what Solo did in 2011 and 2012. The questions moving ahead are: 1. Have injuries and grueling rehab taken a toll on Solo that will shorten her career? 2. Will she be motivated to keep up her form over the next couple of years? 3. Is there another goalkeeper who could step up? 4. How long can the detente within the team hold? If the answers are no, yes, no and yes, then Solo sticks around. If they're yes, no, yes and no, then she doesn't. If I had to play Nate Silver and put a number on it, I'd say it's a 70% chance that she sticks around. But there's so much we don't know.
It was previously a rule actually. That rule was changed a couple years ago and people can now vote for teammates (although they still cannot vote for themselves).
Solo is, indeed, NOT a lock. See the last paragraph: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/sports/us-womens-soccer-team-to-wrap-up-big-year-with-exh/nTXLY/
A little Hope Solo insider info for you. The owner of the Sounders Women is personal friends with her, and they stay in contact via cell phone. Further, Solo does not get along with the first hire Bill Predmore made for the Seattle NWSL club. Is that enough to keep her with the Sounders in the W-League? She's out of contract, but is still flying to Seattle to do appearances this week for the Sounders Women. http://sounderswomen.com/home/683790.html