Good to hear SKC might actually be on board now, but what caught my eye was: another Minn-based group is in talks with the team? I find that far too coincidental for it to not be the Loons... Although, if it were MNU, I guess the article was also mention it as being a fourth MLS association too... Hmm...
Seattles big issue might be where they will play. I think they are getting kicked out of Memorial. The Sounders stadium is too big, so it might be back to Tukwila.
So uuhhh.... This is both a footnote to the RSL story and a big issue yet to be resolved, bigger than I had previously thought: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/boston-breakers-ownership-change-nwsl-crossroads-future?hp2
didn't know Boston was in this kind of hole. Now it really sucks that Sporting KC didn't take over FCKC.
From what I can tell, they had high hopes for FCKC and low hopes for BOS, so RSL was looking to take over BOS' spot - but then the situation flipped, because SKC fell through while an ownership group for BOS appeared, with just the one issue that the BOS group wasn't immediately able to take over. I think the worst-case scenario at this point is that BOS takes a year hiatus to give the group that NWSL seems to like the time to take over the team... BOS at least has a really nice vertical structure including a Reserves team that by design is full of players who aren't NCAA-eligible, so there's the possibility of holding an exhibition season, too, I hope. Best-case scenario is that NWSL finds the stopgap that BOS needs and the new group slides in when they're ready with no disruption to the team.
I don't know. "But I can't take over this year for 'reasons'" isn't particularly reassuring with regards to Boston.
Anyway, once RSL week is over, I hope we can get definitive answers to two main questions before 2018 actually rolls around: --What exactly is the fate of Boston? --When can we expect a real Commissioner to appear? No knock on Amanda, she's doing a great job as acting leader of the league, but having a real commissioner would be a very good thing to have moving forward.
Really? The last two of them really didn’t do much. From my point of view Duffy is doing more than the actual commissioners
Bailey literally helped (and probably organized much of) the founding of the league. Getting all the ownership on board, hashing out the allocation process... That's nothing to be sniffed at. And she did help get Houston on board, so she has an expansion under her belt as well. Plush oversaw getting Orlando on board and bringing on A+E. We also know he fielded far more expansion interest than just Orlando, even if none of the other groups at the time worked out. You can argue how much influence he had over the two-year attendance growth from 14 to 15 to 16, but I think you have to give him some credit for helping the league capitalize on the big international tournaments in those years. And finally, he oversaw the sale of the Flash to NC, and oversaw the update to the allocation process. Duffy has done a good job in her year as managing director of operations, for sure. But the only major thing that's happened under her watch that we've seen thus far is the buyback of KC and expansion to SLC. She's also had to juggle the TV and streaming issues this year, but that's not as big of a deal IMO, especially since it's something she's inherited and not started from scratch. She's done great as acting commissioner, for sure. But that's not supposed to be her job, and to say she's done more than either of the two previous commissioners is, I think, letting past frustrations cloud judgement. I just want someone as dedicated commissioner, even if that means she gets "promoted" to that position officially while someone else is hired as director of operations. And whoever ultimately is next commissioner, how they respect the NWSLPA will be a big gauge in how I view them as a leader.
You’ll see the subtweets. Official word coming soon. Breakers will fold ahead of the 2018 season. Players and staff have been notified. https://t.co/qFHUvdX21y— Anthony DiCicco (@DiCiccoMethod) January 25, 2018
The next thing is the schedule. Massively hard to reschedule 20 matches especially with some teams not controlling their venue. Equally tough to replace those matches with byes and lose that home attendance.
Welp. Can't say I didn't see that coming but it's still sad anyway. On one hand as C. Murray said this could signal a change from smaller ownership to larger ownership groups. But this still leave a bad taste in the mouth as any franchise folding is never a good look. One can expect this to be covered by all the leading sports media that otherwise ignores the league on a day to day basis. On the bright side, is it wrong that I'm excited about the dispersal draft? Which order will they use?
Yeah... especially this close to the season starting. Doesn't leave much time for players to change life plans. I expect normal draft order... If they do a dispersal draft at all. I mean, that definitely sounds like the best option to me too, and I'd bet it happens, but this is NWSL and we don't have much time to work with.
My guess is this will follow what ever order is used for UFI. Which if no one have traded their spots will be reverse order
I wouldn't do reverse order but I might reverse the order of the non playoff teams. Washington has had enough sunshine for one year. Seattle SkyBlue Utah Houston Washington Chicago Orlando NC Portland
Here's who's on the Boston roster/drafted list ... acknowledgement and thanks to Jen Cooper of Keeper Notes: BOSTON As of 1/18 Jsy # Player POS Off-Season 2018 Status Requires Int'l Slot 3 Brooke Elby D signed for 2018 7 Lotta Ökvist D/M signed for 2018 Y (Sweden) 18 Tiffany Weimer F signed for 2018 20 Christen Westphal D signed for 2018 26 Angela Salem M signed for 2018 23 Katie Stengel F Newcastle (Australia) signed for 2018 2 Allysha Chapman D (2017 federation player) 11 Rose Lavelle M (2017 federation player) 4 Megan Oyster D 2nd yr contract option exercised 8 Julie King D 2nd yr contract option exercised 9 Natasha Dowie F Melbourne Victory (Australia) 2nd yr contract option exercised Y (England) 10 Rosie White M 2nd yr contract option exercised Y (New Zealand) 14 Abby Smith GK 2nd yr contract option exercised 15 Sammy Jo Prudhomme GK 2nd yr contract option exercised 17 Amanda Frisbie D Perth Glory (Australia) 2nd yr contract option exercised 19 Adriana Leon M 2nd yr contract option exercised Y (Canada) 21 Midge Purce D 2nd yr contract option exercised 22 Ifeoma Onumonu F 2nd yr contract option exercised 25 Morgan Andrews M 2nd yr contract option exercised 33 Hayley Dowd F 2nd yr contract option exercised Savannah McCaskill F 2018 draftee Elizabeth Wenger D 2018 draftee Ashton Miller M/F 2018 draftee Joanna Boyles M/F 2018 draftee As a reminder, all of the player contracts, except for the federation players, are with the NWSL, not with the individual clubs. The NWSL assigns the players to teams. What we think of as the team owners actually are Team Operators, who operate the teams under contracts with the NWSL. Now if the players don't want to move to another city, that is an issue to be dealt with. But, Boston's going under doesn't make the players free agents. Rather, they're still NWSL players, but they aren't currently assigned to a team. The same is true of the former KC players, except that I think the NWSL already has assigned them to RSL. If my understanding is right, there are several groups of players that, in a sense, are "dispersal" players: Players just coming out of college, dispersed via the college draft, in reverse order of how the teams finished in the last season (subject to trades) Unattached Federation Individuals, dispersed via a "claims" process, following the same order as the college draft Discovery players that remain unsigned. Where a team has not timely signed a discover player, the rights go to the next team with the player on its discovery list. If I'm reading the rule correctly, during the off-season, where more than one team has a player on its discovery list, the rights to try to sign the player follow the same order as the college draft. Players under contract with the league from a team that is closing shop, such as Boston (and possibly also players to which they have rights but currently aren't under contract?). I don't see any rule on these players. I'm guessing, however, that the NWSL will put these players on a waiver list. If they do, then their dispersal follows the college draft order. One of the problems for teams wishing to acquire former Boston players (or players to which Boston had rights) is that they already are well into signing players and have to fit any non-federation players into their salary caps. And, as to international players, into their available international player caps. This is going to make things much more complex than teams simply claiming the players they think are the "best" based on their college draft positions.
maybe they'll do the thing we used to do in high school u go last to first then for the next round u go 1st to last
I am very disappointed. I thought pretty hard aboout how to keep the team afloat in 2018, but any temporary measure makes it a lame duck team; not good for the players or the league. So an owner is needed. And there is no one that wants it. So the team folds. And 'expansion' for 2019 becomes 'replacement' and in my mind becomes urgent.
Correct me if I am wrong: along with the salary cap, are't NWSL rosters bound to a quite tight limit? Dispersal draft looks anyway sad to me, because all of Boston's players can't possibly fit into other teams' rosters. I'd dare to say that every Boston player re-allocated somewhere means another player losing her place in that team (give or take a few, because of retirements, transfers overseas, etc.). So, basically, any way you look at it, about 20 players who would have had a job for next season will be weaved by their teams (or won't find a team, if from Boston Breakers). Dispersal draft is not going to change this: for every Lavelle or Leon who will find a place somewhere, another "minor" player will lose her job in some team. On the other hand, as cpthomas correctly put it, when we're this close to the beginning of the season, there are signed contracts that you can't just throw in the gutter. The teams were all more-or-less defined: how many of them, by looking ahead, have carved a niche in their roster in the possibility that Boston was going to fold? Maybe some keen-sighted one did, but I am not sure how many of them can easily accomodate players who weren't in their plans at all. Not sure though: I admit I don't know much of how these things go, both technically, legally and financially, so feel free to correct me if I am wrong.