No attribution, don't know where it came from, but today's (suburban Chicago) Daily Herald has this note on its "Soccer Week" page: Discuss.
Are you saying their fate is pretty much sealed at this point? Are you saying we should enjoy the rest of the season? Are you saying we should enjoy WWC 2003? Are you saying we should enjoy the Olympic Sendoff Tour coming to an MLS Stadium near you in 2004 courtesy of AEG/MLS/SUM? 'Cause I hadn't heard all those things anywhere before.
The league has to plan for the future as if it is going to be there - regardless of whether or not it happens. The same thing with the CBA. They're in the process of finalizing the Collective Bargaining Agreement while operating under the Memorandum of Understanding. Obviously the CBA only matters if there are future seasons, but they still have to work on it, in case those seasons come to pass. Of course one wonders if "expansion" might be paired with "contraction" with the net result really just being "relocation".
This has been discussed in these fore for more than 2 years. I don't see expansion in the near future. Additional west coast or mid-western (chicago) cities are the most likely.
I can see the Power moving to Rochester. The new stadium would be a motivating factor, along with a stronger potential fanbase that on LI. Unless the 7k turnout was for Mia, and I would assume that a good percentage was.
Unless WUSA wants to be "minor league" and WUSA no longer wants to be a TV programming product, it has to have a team in the New York TV market. WUSA has much bigger issues to take of before "expansion" can take place, i.e. finding new investors to take the place of Comcast and Time Warner so that the 3 orphaned franchises have operators again.
not a huge follower here, but ive heard that "this will be the end at the end of the season for the WUSA".
That has been going around for months. The "founders" need at least 2 billionaires to step forward in 2004 to pay the bills for WUSA. If no billionaires are willing to pay the bills for WUSA, then...
its sad to see a soccer league die, especially in the US, but there isn't a strong backin in the WUSA, or women's soccer for that matter (worldwide). WUSA didn't want help from MLS, so they didn't get it. No one to blame except the WUSA.