Hi Beau, thanks for the information. Do you know if there is some sort of documentation with detailed rules/regulations regarding USSF sanctioning out there?
huh? if that were true, that would certainly fit into his pattern of exaggerating things. i suspect that i read these boards more than dan does, and i wouldn't call newsouth and mrad and maybe a couple others an "outcry" to do anything.
if the league didn't step in to support mls when everyone thought they were going to go under, and if they didn't step in to support wusa when it went under, and nasl etc, etc, etc, why would they do so now? i want wps to survive, but this is just a dangerous precedent. ussf should not be putting money into any pro league.
WPS owners put themselves in this boat. Why should someone else step up? Couldn't have been that hard to roll the dice on them for a 2nd season, could it, if they have several teams in the wings in 2013?
Don't know if there's any "news" in here or not, (aside from maybe a few names I for one didn't know until now,) but interesting seeing a major news outlet cover things: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/25/s...nctioning-for-womens-professional-soccer.html some notes: O’Sullivan insists that getting D1 sanctioning is the primary goal (not sure if this goes against the statement about planning to roll on unsanctioned if need be or not). Neil Buethe, a USSF spokesman, said the federation would have no further comment on anything dealing with WPS until the extension period was up. Jack Cummings, one of WPS's founders, mentions expansion interest as both the relaunch of the Sol and PacNW MLS involvement. Jennifer Hitchon, executive of the players' union, also weighs in on the implications of a WPS shutdown, though the fact that she credits the '08 Gold Medal to WPS/WUSA really makes me question where she's coming from.
The only thing that's interesting to me right now is that there's still no concrete word on a 6th team and instead looks like they're going to try to PR appeal to the USSF to please let them be sanctioned despite having only 5 teams and the vast majority in the NE of the country.
Beau Dure - Many internationals played in the W-League Kelly Smith... many from Australia's NT.. almost all of Canada I don't see many opting not to play except the USWNT... WHo as everyone knows, is the probaly the best paid NT team
The W-League is sanctioned. They're sanctioned as div. 2, yes, but still sanctioned. That is VERY different from being an unsanctioned league like the WPS is facing. If they end up joining the W-League or WPSL, then fine. As a member of the W-League or WPSL, they'd still be sanctioned (as div. 2) - of course, they wouldn't be the WPS by then, but quibbles, right?
“Our primary goal is to retain our D1 status,” Jennifer O’Sullivan, the league’s commissioner, said Thursday in a telephone interview. “We just came off a phenomenal season in 2011 and it feels like this is our time. We want to grab that and run with it.” ------------ she must be kidding! this whole situation is self induced by the wps owners. you had 6 teams on the books and probably an easy extension, and canned 1 of 2 who would pay and roster the big name players to tour around the wps and get you to 2013. i guess the blame will go to the ussf and fans for not supporting the wps. basically, they are saying if you don't support us with 5 teams now you will kill women's soccer for generations to come. i want to see this work for the girls but this ownership group is starting to look like a bunch of jokers, excluding sahlen. joke!
unless I'm totally off - Newsouth, I think you'll have to get used to the idea that Dan ain't coming back. It also looks like an expansion team is unlikely plus the O'Sullivan's goal is to 'retain D1 status' rather then 'grow the league for next season' - sounds more like survival mode and they'll try get USSF sanction for 5 teams it will be up to the USSF to decide if they want an international div 1 women's league
Has anyone considered the possibility that Dan was himself an obstacle to sanctioning? Surely there are criteria beyond number of teams?
No. Because if he were, the WPS would jump on it as an explanation. The requirements are 8 teams crossing three time zones (i.e. you can't just park your league in one corner of the US) so tech. the league is missing both conditions. Below that, you have to apply for a waiver.
Actually, the USSF did step in for both MLS and WUSA - with cash. But, then, neither of those leagues were ever down to just five teams.
well, it's always hope. the wps could kill 2 birds in the next couple days, eliminating his lawsuit and making the ussf happy. personally, i'm not interested in seeing one powerhouse, wny, and the others just chasing. sahlen and lines run a tight ship, and they take it again this yr. at least if he is back he'll stack his team against wny, and make it debatable is wny the best.
i know ussf used 1994 wc $$ as seed money for startup of mls. if they fed $$ to mls later on when they were struggling, then there have been several moments when wps was ripe for a similar infusion of cash. what are they waiting for?
Both you and the NotDanBorislow twitter account seem to like denying the powerhouse that was Philly this past year, though at least NotDanBorislow at least lampshades his denial.... Anyway, we finally get a statement from WPS on this whole thing: http://www.womensprosoccer.com/news/press_releases/111125-wps-statement Unfortunately, nothing that really counts as "news" there, either.
There's no outcry on my part. I'm not a Dan fan. I'm a fan of fans. I'm a superfan myself who is a soccer addict. I spend lots of money and time going to soccer venues around the country. I'm in the belief that in the pro game the fan is the most important entity. And it is my opinion that in the MagicJack situation the South Florida fans got shafted without as much as a thank you. Many people are in the belief that a pro league is there for the main purpose of employing players after they are done with college. I don't even agree with DB that the league should be there to develop players for the USWNT. I am in the belief that a pro league is there for the sole entertainment of fans and thus the byproduct is the employment of players and the USWNT benefits from its existence. We can argue with this till the cows come home. I will never change my mind that in pro sports, fans come first. I just can't see the logic that the fan doesn't matter even in the case of the turbulent WPS. They are the ones who pay the bills eventually, in one form or another. I respect all your opinions including those of you who want to call me names like arrogant, etc. I don't see myself as that. But I will always defend the paying fan.
is sahlen resigning marta? all i can see is they fuse $500,000 into another team and have that team run a cheap roster like atlanta did. ussf should force them to go with six. they owners can't be for real if they think the can capitalize off of the WC and Olympics without the NT players, internationals and the reserve NT players if they are dropped to DII .
I think it's pretty much a given that Marta's not coming back, at least not for 2012. I'm still confused as to what happens with the USWNT contracts if WPS goes DII, but as has been previously stated, other NT's have had players in W-League, etc., so I don't think WPS going to DII would stop them from playing here unless dropping to DII also created a salary issue.
Nothing is tech. preventing them but last time, USSF forbid the USWNT players from playing in a d2 league. And if it comes to USWNT and a d2 league, it seems most players would choose the USWNT...
I understand all that-- but the fact that they are now falling short in two criteria does tto mean they they were not falling short in three before; surely there is some requirement about running your league in a professional manner... And given that there's a lawsuit afoot, I'm not sure they would jump on it-- publicly anyway-- as an explanation.
I am going tp pass this along from the web of twitters passed around: Marcia McDermott as mediary to get WPS and MJ to talk. I also put Peter Wilt in there. These are soccer people who know people. In fact one of those should be the WPS CEO or Commissioner. The only problem would be these two would not be yes men or women to any party. Start with Shek Borkowski and follow the web of twitters on the Marcia suggestion. Not a bad idea. http://twitter.com/#!/ShekBorkowski
This is hilarious . . . what exactly is the incentive for SocFed to NOT sanction WPS as a D1 league? I mean, I know the SocFed people are basically the walking dead, but come on . . . they either have a pro league or they don't. Why wouldn't you think they'll come through with some sort of "super secret probation" thing so they can sanction it? I mean, I don't necessarily think WPS has been real clever with Borislow (ever heard of a useful idiot?), but he's NOT the make or break person for all this. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see MJSC back in action with Borislow forced to pay up front for WPS to take care of sponsorship responsibilities, etc.
Catching up a bit: 1. There's a little bit about professional league standards on p. 14 of the USSF policy manual. Another list of standards is here, though WPS can't meet most of those. And some of them are outdated -- a leaguewide media guide seems rather pointless. Just update the website, and we're fine. 2. National team players from other countries have played in the W-League -- 10 players from Canada's 2011 squad played for Vancouver or Ottawa, Kelly Smith played a season for the New Jersey Wildcats several years ago, and a couple of fringe national teamers like Christie Welsh played in 2007-08. Whether the USWNT is right to turn up its nose at D2 soccer is for others to decide. 3. I don't think Jennifer Hitchon is wrong in saying that WUSA and WPS played a role in the 2008 gold and 2011 silver. Shannon Boxx and Angela Hucles didn't make the national team until they excelled in WUSA, and other players developed a bit in it. WPS played a huge role in launching Amy LePeilbet, Becky Sauerbrunn, Lori Lindsey and Megan Rapinoe onto the national team. 4. The extension to get six teams in the league might not be an ultimatum.