you're lists are always fun. it will be interesting to see if the nwsl can sell to south america. the league would definitely be a cheap training ground for their national teams vs a year full of friendlies, which they don't want to do anyway. as noted, you'll have to let cbf field a stacked team with their nationals. that's the only way i see them even considering it after the failure of so many players in the wps. i'm all for rincon in the nwsl. she could use a better coach than lima part II i'll ask again, has fitz said anything about atlanta? i know the football team goes online in kennesaw by 2015. personally, can't see the league being more than 16-18 teams long term, can't see it growing to the size of the w-league.
Well, I could see the league split into two leagues, and each league has 16-18 teams. Europe has more than one pro league (more than a few these days). So why can't the Western Hemisphere have two? Three championship trophies would be crowned. One for the champion of each of the two leagues. And then those two winners face each other for the ultimate championship. That's the only time a team from one league would play the other. And then the "All-Star" game would be the all-stars from one league, facing the all-stars from the other league, for bragging rights. U.S. Soccer would own one league (NWSL) U.S. Soccer and Canada (jointly) would own the other league (WHWL). WHWL = Western Hemisphere Women's League NATIONAL WOMEN'S SOCCER LEAGUE NWSL: (two divisions, nine teams in each division) Washington, Atlanta, Carolina, Jacksonville, Miami, Houston, Mexico City, Dallas, Okla City, FCKC, Colorado, Omaha, Twin City FC, St. Louis, Chicago, FC Indiana, Columbus, Philadelphia WESTERN HEMISPHERE WOMEN'S LEAGUE WHWL: (two divisions, nine teams in each division) Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake, Bay Area, L.A, San Diego, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, WNY, Boston, Sky Blue, New York, Connecticut, Providence NWSL = Blue team (in all-star game) WHWL = Red team (in all-star game)
everyone gets 1 national team allocation and a roster full of $6,000 players. 30 owners/owner groups aren't out there, just too many teams for the STAR pool of players. i'd go back to the w-league with my team, if you tried to allocate me winters. FCKC wouldn't exist or would become nothing with this many teams. Then, they really would have to play Missy Geha.
Well, Missy Geha would be retired by then. And FCKC could be a market powerhouse by then in their area. This is how I see the landscape forming over the next 10-20 years (not next year). Geha will be on the verge of menopause by then. I see this forming by the year 2025-2029. Two leagues, within one ultimate league infrastructure. 36 teams (18 in each league, each division with 9 teams). This will be the ultimate landscape of women's soccer in North America. South American federations will also jump in and subsidize players. South America will always > North America, in men's football. North America will stay > South America, in women's football.
if you think brasil doesn't care about women's football, then the rest of south america is with the Flintstones in the stone age. CBF could have saved Santos for pennies, and didn't bother. It's cheaper for them to keep Formia, Daiana, Carol, Viviana and others in these nickle and dime leagues, group them for a couple of friendlies and cross their toes the girls can medal. i like your ideas, but i got to see it to believe it. before anyone in south america will look, you'll have to get cbf on board. then, they others will follow. brasil sponsors like the girls in the tight shorts and bikinis, not baggy soccer shorts. actually, FCKC wears their shorts probably short enough. my bet is, cbf will put something so outrageous on the table that the nwsl and ussoccer will say, the hell with that!
Fabiana (#9) looks much taller all of a sudden. She must have hit a growth spurt over the past year, since I last saw her. She'll be much better in the air now, haha.
Maybe Atlanta can get an expansion team, and play in this crazy stadium: http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives...n-gets-approved-heres-what-it-might-look-like
I thought the Kennesaw State stadium was going to "change women's soccer." The Falcons' new stadium is likely too big for an MLS team, much less an NWSL team.
WPS, you might get your wish after all. http://www.soccer365.com/news/features/the_grainey_report/42292/nwsl_hopes_to_expand_for_2014
It was working a little while ago. Basically said there were 5 possible ownership groups that have been given documentation from NWSL. And it's not a matter of if there will be expansion, but how much.
cpthomas - Yes, a WPSM-baited hook. That liesse00 posted. =-/ (Unless you meant a hook baited for WPSM. Then you made sense.) holden - The entire soccer365 site doesn't seem to be working, at least for me... (I tried just going to the home page, nothing.) Do you remember what five groups they were, if they were named? And yeah, I think most people thought it was a "how much" question. Which is good!
The groups were not mentioned in the article. I do know Toronto is one of them. Well, at least they want in. Whether they are accepted is still not determined yet. It sounds like all final submissions, reviews, acceptances, and declines, will happen after the 2013 NWSL season is over with. But my question is, does he mean five American franchises (which would make sense), because throughout the year at one point or another I've heard these eight groups have shown interest (five from the US, three from Canada). New York Real Salt Lake Colorado FC Indiana Connecticut --------------------- Toronto Ottawa Vancouver This doesn't even include the Los Angeles franchise (or merged franchise of two groups) which was rumored wanting in initially, but were turned down for the first season in NWSL. And then there was that interesting rumor about FC Dallas earlier in the year as well, and how they communicated with the Timbers/Thorns front office about potentially wanting in NWSL as well. I still think it'll be 10 franchises in 2014, and then 12 franchises in 2015. But realistically, it can grow to more than 12 after the 2015 WWC and/or 2016 Olympics cycle are over. However, it wouldn't "shock" me if 12 franchises were in the league in 2014. If they are the right ownership groups.
Didn't they already sign their first player? That must've been what they were talking to the Thorns about...
Apparently, most teams in Portland's conference have communicated with the Timbers front office. Well, one thing's for sure. No matter who gets in, expansion does seem inevitable. And, certainly can't wait for the expansion draft. I bet each team can only keep no more than 5 or 6 protected non-allocated players, and then the rest are available to be drafted. FCKC better protect Tymrak from the expansion draft, or they're crazy. She would be the #1 or #2 overall pick in the expansion draft, if she were available to be drafted. You build an expansion team around players like that. The new expansion teams will need to be competitive with the players on their roster, and not like the 2011 Atlanta Beat (during the final season of WPS). Atlanta had top Athletica players in 2010, but in 2011 that Beat roster was very mehhh. Ok, say it with me loud and clear. Crystal Dunn is drafted by .......... New York Red Bulls. (or allocated there) - in her home state
If the Red Bulls go online without any franchise in California, Press is in NY. Her mother's family is from NY/NJ. That's a guarantee, the only way I'd advise her to go to the NWSL. There is the connection for sponsorship dollars. If she has to go to a slug, then stay in Sweden. I could see USSoccer allocating Dunn and giving the Red Bulls those two as their core. Like I said, the Portland deals will be cut with the powerhouse MLS clubs.
Yeah, and New York is a big market. Press and Dunn would be a dynamic package for them. Maybe they sign a veteran international like Abily to come over to New York as well. Marta and Abily were a great combo for the Sol in 2009. Press and Abily (plus Dunn) for New York would be a star-power trio. I could see New York's three allocated Americans including: Press, Dunn, and Klingenberg. Klingenberg just seems like a New York player. I don't know why, just something about it.
I think that when you say "New York is a big market," you may be making a common women's soccer mistake. The question isn't whether New York is a big market, which it obviously is for a lot of things, but whether New York is a big market for women's soccer. Upstate New York is a pretty big market for women's soccer, but I see no evidence that New York City and its environs is a big market for women's soccer. (I have nothing against New York City, I'm a native East Coaster who lived there for three years and had a great time.)
Love the optimism, but tell me what have you seen to think that this league could grow, outisde of MLS participation? What is the hurry for expansion? Anymore than two teams next year is not sustainable talent wise. If you start bringing in too many of the good international players, salaries would have to rise, and that is not going to happen. The USNT allocated players are going to be the highest paid players in this league.
I want to chip in on this topic more specifically on allocated players. There is simply no way that a federation like the Mexican football fed will chip in more allocated players then they would want too when expansion comes along. And the same with the United States and Canada as well. Both of these could support more allocations but at what point is it too much? My feeling is that the allocation system will have to be tinkered with and change as the league grows. Instead of an allocation system that is divided by national slots, I think allocated players will be grouped into a pool of players with teams getting allocated slots. This will allow smaller federations to chip in players and the teams in the league then can trade this players around within their allocated slot limits. Say teams in the future will be able to have 4 allocated slots. They can be all of one nation or combination of the 3. This will allow teams based in other countries to load up on specific players so they can promote them and give teams more leeway to make trades if they go through injuries. What do players benefit from this? If they are allocated then they are essentially protected from being waived or cut by teams. They can still be traded, but traded only for other allocated players. So a new category of players will be created. Allocated player, internationals and so forth. New rules would have to change in how national teams designate players for allocation and who they can send them too, but at least with this change smaller federations wouldn't be forced to commit more money then they would want and this system may help in bringing other federations from other countries to play in the NWSL.