The European leagues are boring. Everyone knows Chelsea, Lyon, Bayern and Barca are winning their leagues before the season begins. The WSL is the most competitive of that group, but 1/3 into the season most teams are out of champions league contention. Why would fans stay engaged with those teams? Also, the Champions league is in a playoff format like US sports are.
I don't think they offer the same significance. The leagues offer a season to determine the champion, and to determine who gets relegated. That is where the prestige is. The domestic cup competitions are meaningful, but not to the same level as league play. Because the final is often in a special stadium for a special occasion, usually without interference from other matches. Finishing in the top means playing other top teams in Europe the next season. That is the prestige of winning, or being in the top 3. And I think there is a pretty significant gap between the top 2 or 3 in the various leagues and those further down, just making non-CL matches less significant.
It will also extend the season. Kind of mixed on if that is good or bad. Of those 4, Chelsea are the least likely to win. That said, investment in the women's game is not significant enough in Europe (or elsewhere outside the US) to filter down. Eventually, we will see greater investment in women's teams down the table which will bring greater league competition.
Mod note: Changed thread title from "Quarterfinals" to "Playoffs" as I don't think multiple threads are needed. Unless y'all want a different thread for the final.
And just for this final note...today [edit - this weekend] (and an unintentional argument for the playoff format), 5 of 8 goals were scored in stoppage time. That is some great drama.
There is a big assumption here that the goal is to eliminate random events to find the "best" team. You already have that via League play. In response to @hotjam2 , in Europe, winning the league is the pinnacle of achievement over any other domestic cup. Many fans will tell you it ranks higher than the Champions League. To say it offers same significance is flat out wrong.
Agree, but to me, Cups/Playoffs and a regular season identify different things. One is designed to ID the best team over the long haul and the other is to create the excitement you speak of. Its up to the fans, culture, league etc to determine how they value those two, very separate things. Most Major leagues in the US place more significance on the playoffs than the regular season. Its the opposite in Europe
They do because that is the culture. PL teams with no chance of top 4 or relegation still sell out games. it's called supporting a team! I understand it is different here.
As an Arsenal fan, I can say that of those who follow both teams, and its a lot, they feel the same. Winning the CL was great, but the League is the prize. Fans still show up to League games when the title race is over
I would like the title to reflect what is actually happening, Something like: "The Culmination of Absurdity" Would seem to fit.
And that also is an indication that teams are not playing as hard as they can until the last 8-10 minutes or so. The format of a tournament like this encourages very conservative play and low aggression. I have always wondered what kind of matches we would get if the teams actually tried to win instead trying so hard not to lose.
Single team, and unique in the WSL, and quite a bit of WoSo. I don't think using the men's side of things regarding attendance and fan devotion is (or really, ever will be) the same as for the women's game. This is not saying that the women's game is less, just that it is different.
I may be wrong, but your point seems to illustrate the cultural differences I am referring to. No one in the UK supports the WSL. They are separate teams with separate followings, so I dont get your single team or unique reference unless the context is that US fans support the NWSL. It is a centrally owned franchise system here that is designed for a very different purpose. I am talking about WSL attendance at AFC, not mens. The fan devotion I speak of is relative. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cqxe751z2z0o One of the main reasons behind the fall in attendances last season was the relegation of Bristol City in 2023-24. Despite losing all their homes games as they made an immediate return to the Championship, they were backed by an impressive home support at Ashton Gate, which they shared with the men's team. They had the fifth-highest average home attendance in the WSL - 6,974 - behind the big four of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. A crowd of 8,749 watched their relegation-confirming loss to Manchester City, while a bumper 14,138 attendance saw a 2-0 defeat by Manchester United in November. The paragraph on Bristol City is interesting. Big crowds in spite of relegation
Sounds like the Bristol City fan base shares their genetics with the Chicago Cubs fans. I remember the old joke that goes: But Cubs fans kept showing up and were rewarded finally in 2016 after something like 108 years. It is hoped that Bristol City fans do not have to wait that long.
Well than you need to tell this to 11 of out of the 12 clubs in the French league/13 out of the 14 teams in the Bundesliga/15 out of 16 Spanish clubs, because for at least the last four years now it’s complete total domination by just one club(Lyon, Bayern, Barca) who now spend more than double the budget over their nearest competitor in each of their respective leagues. You got to remember playoff matches could go up to 120 minutes compared to 90 in regular season ones. This is why teams tend to Freon on putting high presses at the start of playoffs & it becomes more of an endurance game & who’s got the most energy towards the later stages. The 39 year old Marta showed her experience in conserving her energy & then broke through in the last minute that exhausted back line of Seattle the other day
I wouldn't call the following accomplishments nothing: "The Kansas City Current had the greatest regular season in NWSL history – the fastest to win the Shield, the most goals, the most points, the most wins."
They accomplished nothing. US sports accomplishments are determined by playoff success. All the Current accomplished is becoming the Seattle Mariners of NWSL, the biggest chokers of all time.
That's kind of an all or nothing view, and I don't think gives much credit to the 26 matches they played. That much may be true, but they still had to get her the ball. And they had to defend. I think KC, though, is going to be part of next season show of players coming in. Fischer in Seattle, Ovalle in Orlando, and Sentnor in KC, all came in mid/late-season but didn't quite seem to meld with the squad, as often happens. Even Shaw seemed to experience some disjointed moments, though appears to be the best at integration of the mid/late-season transfers.
That's how American sports work. The 2001 Seattle Mariners won more regular season games than anyone in MLB history and they have zero championships. The Washington Capitals won the "Presidents Trophy" for the best record in the NHL in 2009-10, 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons and were rightly considered a failure because they didn't win the Stanley Cup those years. The trophy at the end of the playoffs is the only thing that matters.