Link from CNN SI below. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2003/soccer/09/15/bc.soc.wusafolds.ap/index.html
They were running out of cash on hand, and the 20MM in debt they'd racked up was catching up. They burned $100MM of investor money, plus who knows how much in revenues in three years. It's all just too bad. I hate to think of that beautiful facility being turned over completely to CASL. Without adult supervision (Buckley), you can expect the field to be absolute crap by next summer.
The W league is the same as the PDL. CASL operates a PDL club and I can see them adding a W-League team, but it would still be CASL. --- I just checked. I saw 26 of the 65 regular season and playoff Courage games (40%) plus a handful of preseason games (including their first ever game against Boston in Greensboro in March 2001). It was fun while it lasted.
An impressive record, Andy, especially combined with having just seen your first men's college game. I too really hope there will be a fully professional women's league again soon. The story is in the local news now: http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2003/09/15/daily10.html
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Sep/09182003/sports/93491.asp Staci Burt talks about the league's demise in the Salt Lake paper.