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Players react to new women’s pro soccer league

Dan Lauletta November 22, 2012 45

A new women’s professional soccer league announced its presence on Wednesday, and you’ve already heard our take on things. Here are how some ex-WPS and prospective players for the new league are feeling about the news:

Midfielder Allie Long

“I have so many emotions towards it because I’m super happy. I’m really excited. I think it’s a great start for the growth of women’s soccer and I am just praying that will be sustainable. Now that US Soccer has a huge part of it, it really will help a lot. I’m really thankful for the US Soccer Federation and the Canadian soccer federation, and the Mexican soccer federation for really doing whatever they can to help the league in the US. I really do think it will in the long run help the development of soccer in our country. It’s just an awesome thing that they finally got it together. Everyone’s been waiting anxiously and it’s just really refreshing and relieving to know that we will have a league and we will be able to play. Hopefully this year we’ll do whatever we can. I know as a player I will go out of my way to promote it and make it so it will last this time.”

Midfielder Leslie Osborne

On allocating the NT players & incorporating them into the existing teams:

“I was a part of the allocation in 2009, so I’ve been through it. Player preference is big, and you want the national team players to be where they want to be. It’s not necessarily about making the National Team players happy, but at the end of the day they should be comfortable where they end up. They’re going to be a big part of your team.”

On the existing WPSL Elite teams having an advantage:

“We have somewhat of an advantage going into 2013. We have a core group already. I’d rather be in a situation like us, rather than a new team like Portland that will have to start from scratch. We have a base we can build from.”

On NT players making their preferences known:

“Seattle and Portland will be very popular. But I think coaches will have a big say in where players end up. The coaches and the organization.”

On the league in general:

“This will be my second professional league, and I’m honored to play in it and to be a part of it. It’s outstanding, especially after the Olympics and the Women’s World Cup, that we can come together and say before heading into 2013 that we have a place for professional soccer here in the United States.”

On USSF involvement:

“I’m really impressed with everyone involved and all the work that’s been done. The backing of US Soccer, their guidance and their work with the Canadian and Mexican federations will be a huge help for the future of the league. The US has the greatest women’s soccer team in the world, and this league is going to be an essential part of making sure we stay at the top.”

Midfielder Brittany Bock

On the announcement:

“It’s exciting because what happened in February was just devastating for a lot of players and there are so many talented players in the draft. To finally get that news that the league for sure is coming back is huge news. And there are a lot of players who have been kind of waiting for them to come back.”

On whether the players knew about the involvement from the federations:

“I was in Sweden for the last three months so I was maybe missing a lot, but I didn’t know that Canada and Mexico were going to be involved. I thought it would be a good idea for our US Soccer Federation to be involved because that’s a big pool of their players, but I didn’t really know.”

On the difference from 2009 when she was one of the hot college seniors:

“It was so exciting coming out of college. I was just expecting and hoping that that’s what I was going to do. I was going to play professional soccer. Luckily it came. Now that I’ve been all three years in the WPS and then we go through a year when the league folded, it’s not that I had taken it for granted before because I definitely didn’t …it’s very exciting to know that the league is coming back and that there is so much work going into it. I’m just so happy to have this opportunity again.”

Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc (who added that she does intend to play in the new league)

“I’m very happy about the news of the new league.. It is great for growth of the game. I am also excited to hear of CSA’s involvement. In hosting the next WC we needed to keep the excitement of the women’s game up and this will only help. Having the opportunity for several Canadian players to play professional games on a weekly basis will be good for everyone – the players, the organizations and the fans. Hopefully the product on the field will speak for itself and we will be able to make this one of the best leagues in the world.

“Having played in the past two leagues, the WUSA and the WPS, I hope people will support this league as well and come out and watch the games. Everyone can play a part. If you have the national team players from USA, Mexico and Canada playing together, it is bound to be a great product.”

—

Reporting from Dan Lauletta and Meg Linehan.

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POSTED IN » Analysis, News, NWSL, USWNT
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  • sol1711

    canada directed the wm from 2015, they manage not to build its ownleague. pitifully

    • Steglitz49

      Canada qualified for the Olympics and came 3rd. They beat France (and they drew with Sweden in the group game).

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  • http://twitter.com/24thminute Duane Rollins

    Sol1711 — The failure of two previous leagues in the US would seem to indicate it’s far from “pitiful” that Canada doesn’t have a pro women’s league

  • sol1711

    sweden his league since 1988, germany has its league since 1990, only america get it out not. pilifully.

    this third attempt will fail in 3 years.

    canada directed the wm 2015 without league. poor canada

    • Steglitz49

      The world of ladies football requires a vibrant, dynamic and financially sound north-American league. People who love and support women’s soccer have got to get behind and shove or out in front and pull — and like crazy. This is the last chance saloon.

      Giving the World Cup to Canada was almost like giving it to USA again, in that all those Americans who enjoy women’s soccer can easily go to the matches. Given how the cookie has been crumbling, maybe Japan would have been an even better host, but Canada makes sense.

      • sol1711

        please canada, build up your own league.
        bitte kanada keine hündische ergebenheit gegenüber den usa.
        nur eine eigene liga fördert das spiel der nationalmannschaft und der jugend auswahlmannschaften.

        • Steglitz49

          The NHL started as a collaboration between Canadian and American teams. Likewise, baseball has teams based in Canada.
          You may well be right that ultimately Canada should have its own women’s soccer league, but until such time that the Beaverettes (Castorettes) can gnaw with their own teeth, being in company with their sisters in Mexico and USA is not such a bad deal, is it not?

          • Joshua

            The name “National Hockey League” is a complete misnomer. It s/b North American Professional Ice Hockey League or International Professional Ice Hockey League or Canada and United States Professional Ice Hockey League. Canadian American Ice Hockey League sound like something with only players with joint citizenship.

            Right now NHL stands for No-play Hockey League.

            Major League Soccer is a good name of a multi-nation pro soccer league. Same thing for Major League Baseball. Not so for NLF or NBA.

          • Steglitz49

            Verily. I am told that the NHL survives because it has a different advertising base than the other 3 big US sports — upper middle class (white) men. Maybe there is a lesson for women’s soccer here — find the monied base!

            Although it is <50 years ago that the Swede Sterner became the first European-trained player in the NHL, today about 30% of the players are from Europe, mainly from Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic. The NHL is an enormous carrot for young players in those countries, and many names have gone into the legends such as Kallur and Persson (4 Stanley cups + 1 final), Loob and Foppa.

            Likewise, a well functioning NAFA league can be of enormous benefit to women players around the world. Apart from the UK who clearly are purposely restricting themselves to the British isles, all European leagues have foreign players from around the world and there is no reason why NAFA could not model itself on the NHL and have a regulated number of foreign players per roster.

          • TsovLoj37

            I thought the base was Canadians. It’s absolutely everyone here and any other sport is a distant second.

          • Steglitz49

            Your point is well taken. About 50% of the players are Canadian, 20-25% American and 25-30% from Europe (it varies from year to year; mainly Swedes, Finns, Czechs and Slovaks, though with the Russian KHL many CRs and Slovaks now play there instead).

            Hockey used to be Sweden’s most popular sport after soccer. An independent survey in 2010 found that this was no longer the case. The collapse was greatest among women but interest among the men had also fallen. The hockey World cup this year confirmed this with many of the matches in Sweden being very poorly attended.

    • Joshua

      NCAA has had a championship tournament for Women’s Soccer since 1982. It started out small but has gotten to be bigger. 64 teams this year. 323 teams on the NCAA RPI.

      Not that this is highest level “league” in the world. Far from it. I saw two games on-line last Friday. UCLA vs. Stanford (off the Stanford site) and then Wolfsburg vs Turbine Potsdam (off of the Bundesliga site). UCLA/Stanford looked like “a kick ball game”, to quote a comment I read on another blog, compared to Wolfsburg/Potsdam. For those in the dark, Wolfsburg and Potsdam are the two top teams in the German Ladies’ Bundesliga.

      The NCAA, however, does provide a HUGE feeder system for the USWNT. They can pick and choose from hundreds if not thousands of players. The USWNT can get by without a Div 1 league, but they will be and have been more like a club team than a true National Team as a result.

      • Steglitz49

        Sometimes I wonder if the NCAA is not Teddy Roosevelt’s biggest achievement, although it was not what gave him the Nobel Peace prize.

        Wolfsburg is an excellent example of how women’s soccer is moving. The CEO of VW is also the chairman of the club and the ladies play with a gigantic VW logo on their fronts. A couple of years ago the ladies got some extra funds. They bought young players from Duisburg, Frankfurt and Potsdam — players who were blocked from playing by all the stars. The result is there to see.

        Last year Wolfsburg came second in the league and thereby qualified for the CL where they are still in at the QF stage. They carry a heavy destiny because each German club won the CL in the first year they qualified for it …

        Maybe in this changed scenery the NCAA will not suffice at the senior level? USA came to the Olympics as very heavy favorites but only just got the gold — and in the Wolfsburg-Potsdam game you referred to, Yuki Ogimi showed that she had learnt from Rachel Buehler but this referee was not blind …

        • Joshua

          The NCAA -could- be a major force in womens’ soccer and probably other sports as well (such as volleyball or field hockey as well as other Olympic Sports) except for two things:

          #1. Football (american football) calls the tune in NCAA college sports. Everybody dances to the music Football plays. Rutgers is leaving one conference and joining another. The reason? Football.

          #2. NCAA regulations. Forget it…

          • Steglitz49

            Answers: Q1 = he who pays the piper calls the tune; and Q2 = don’t know.

            Women’s college basketball gets a fair amount of airtime. Summit, Conradt, Mulkey and Auriemma are well recognized names. Could one argue that based on equal exposure etc that women’s college soccer gets some airtime? After all, the boys’ grid-iron is shown a lot, including most of the bowls.

            An issue for the new NAFA league is not setting it up but to ensure enough turnover each year that new players get a chance. One presumes that there is an expansion plan. Each year enough young players graduate, that if only 1% want to play professionally, you have a whole team roster.

  • sol1711

    canadians and mexicans are now suddenly your sisters, your americansthey want the only way to suppress both countries to open any women’s soccer league.

    poor canada,you were pulled over the table.

    • Steglitz49

      Romantic and nationalistic sentiments apart, why do you think separate ladies’ leagues in Mexico and Canada would be viable?

      • sol1711

        the problem with this is the only american union has the power, the canadian and mexican youth national teams will not be funded and promoted.

        canada needsits own league.

        • Steglitz49

          Then the Canadians had better roll up their sleeves and get started. Canada is a wealthy country, so money should not be a problem. What is holding Canada back?

          Canada has the same hurdle as USA, namely highly organised soccer at college (and high-school). If you are a young woman who enjoys soccer there is plenty of opportunity, including scholarships to top USA universities, such as Stanford, Berkeley and Duke.

        • TsovLoj37

          As someone living in Canada, I disagree. Our geography would be prohibitive. We’re stretched out in a thin line along the border. Unless you live in Edmonton or Halifax, some of the closest cities to you are in the US. Travel costs are way better if we’re in. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ottawa Fury or maybe the Whitecaps Women get in on the league. The way for this league to really pay off for Canadian women’s soccer is for us to get teams in our country in the league.

          Mexico’s situation is somewhat different I’ll admit, and you have a case there. The expansion prospects are low along the border due to everyone playing cartelball, and getting two Mexico-internal teams close to each other as an expansion pair (the leadership seems into geographic pairs) could be a problem (Mexico City and Guadalajara maybe?).

          • Steglitz49

            Your points about distances and logistics are well taken. Sweden is the country in Europe with the biggest distances and the legendary club Umeå is up in the sparsely populated north — a bit like having a team in the Yukon or Nome.
            Nevertheless, Sweden is “only” 1600 km (1000 miles) long and 300-500 km wide (depending on where you are). If you put a pair of dividers at the south tip of Sweden and swing round from the northern end, you end up in the Mediterranean.

            Speaking to the Mexican situation, most countries in Europe have two top clubs in the bigger cities and some, like London and Göteborg, have several. That is how the game grew in the days of travel by (steam) train and many changes. Local growth where there was interest.
            Thus, if Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver want two teams each, let the. If Seattle wants two teams, likewise. If Puget sound want four teams, why not? If the tri-state area can manage 5 teams, go for it.

    • http://twitter.com/EricHep2it Eric Bauer

      This is good for women’s soccer the world over. Nobody is stopping any other leagues from forming. Canada and Mexico joined in because they understand the difficulties women’s leagues face and are doing what they can to ensure their players get the quality play that they need. The Swedish and German leagues are terribly cash strapped, by the way, even attached to larger soccer organizations. What possible chance would Mexico and Canada have in forming their own leagues if European leagues are having trouble? Quit being such a downer.

      • Steglitz49

        Hear hear!

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  • sol1711

    the german league is very stabile and healthy financial, which controlled the dfb. is the largest soccer association in the world, with 7 million members and is the richest association in the world.

    our system is based on the clubs who pay no taxes.

    the dfb and the german government to support these clubs.

    the german women’s football league had alway’s 12 clubs.

    because they descend from 1 league, and coming up out of the 2 league can.

    1.bundesliga with 12 clubs, 2. bundesliga with staffel nord 12 clubs and staffel süd 12 clubs, regionalliga nord, west, süd, südwest, nordost together 63 clubs.

    • Steglitz49

      “the dfb and the german government to support these club” — there is your answer + that “our system is based on the clubs who pay no taxes” — in other words, a heavily subsidized system.

      In Sweden 5 of the 12 teams in Damallsvenskan are in debt. The most indebted is Malmö. This was one of the reasons why Tyresö winning was so popular because that team is privately financed while Malmö is seen as a parasite by the clubs that are solvent. Malmö’s deficit this year is formidable and their tax bill even worse.

      Örebro is a good example of the struggle. Örebro won the Swedish Cup in 2010. This year they averaged 400 people per match. Then a financial crisis erupted. The players phoned around at got 33 local companies and organisations to promise 80 cents each per spectator. 1027 turned up but it was enough; next match 2012 turned up. Then it was back to 400.

      That a big and populous country like USA needs regionalized leagues is obvious and no doubt part of the long term plan. Teams in USA also pay the health insurance on their players, which is higher than for a usual fit healthy woman who just do recreational sports or train in the gym.

      • sol1711

        wusa is dept, wps is dept, your system is better, no no no

        your league keep only 3 years,

        and in all difficulties, the swedish league since 1988, and german league since 1990 contiuously.

        you must imitate.

        • Steglitz49

          As long as the USWNT continues to do well, there is no pressure to do anything in USA.

          It is old Europe who need to imitate USA at schools and universities. FIFA cannot run an U-23 tournament for ladies at the Olympics because USA would walk away with the trophy each time owing to their excellent college and high school sports programs.

          The NCAA was created by Teddy Roosevelt, he of the national parks, eponymous bear and the Panama Canal — not to forget the Nobel Peace prize.

  • sol1711

    wusa is dept, wps is dept, your system is better, no, the new league is also bankrupt in 3 years.

    and in all difficulties, the swedish league since 1988, and the german league since 1990 continuously.

    that is, these two football,soccer, league existed for 24 and 22 years.
    your must imitate.

    • Steglitz49

      The USA won the first world cup of 1991. The USA has never been worse than 3rd in the World cup. Women’s soccer is an Olympic sport because of USA who have dominated it. This is the paradox.

      USA, because of its fine college sports programs has not needed a professional league for women. It has been an optional extra. Stanford and Berkeley are regularly among the world’ 5 top universities academically and they are also good at ladies’ football. Duke and UNC also are top.

      Finally, the USA does not like subsidies. The fact that the men’s sports are subsidized is generally forgotten.

  • sol1711

    no american player leave the bundesliga, who gets the apartment, a car and health insurance, and even 5000€-6488$ in month gets the remains.

    • Steglitz49

      Do not be too sure because most people want to live in their own land.

      As regards salary levels for individual players, this new NAFA league needs to arrive at salaries that are internationally competitive. It would not be unreasonable for Alex Morgan to earn 3% of what Zlatan earns.

      In other words, when the league is mature and established it ought to be able to match the earnings of the best paying European leagues which, as you point out means $6,500 to $20,000 per month plus an apartment and car as well as not paying for your own health insurance (the car is cheap in USA) — and, maybe, that extra salary for a top player. If the league cannot, then it will not attract the best, and Americans usually hate paying for the second-best, never-weres and also-rans.

      • sol1711

        3 years and then bankrupt

        • Steglitz49

          What would you advise the leaders of this resurrected NAFA league to do to avoid bankruptcy?

          Be constructive, please; not destructive.

          They no doubt read the Equalizer and would appreciate any ideas however bizarre.

          • Joshua

            Get David Stern, the NBA commish, to reveal the secret of what has kept the WNBA alive for 16 years ;)

          • Steglitz49

            Too easy: money.

            The NBA subsidizing the WNBA is just like Arsenal defraying Arsenal Ladies or Lyon Lyon’s women or the Emir providing the funds for PSG buying Horan and Asllani.

            If your question is what would the American soccer commissioner need to say to persuade MLS to chip in, it is a good question but does it matter? The MLS do not have as deep pockets as the NBA, the more is the pity. Anyway, in old Europe UEFA only invests about 1% into the women’s game.

            Nevertheless, MLS ought to help their sisters as much as they can.

  • sol1711

    the german women bundesliga since 1990, or 22 years.

    if everythingis so great among you, why not get out just as well as germany.

    the german women bundesliga has 6 uefa women’s cup and 1 champions league title won.

    without millionaires.
    because you want to have only the major sponcors, and if you withdraw then goes bankrupt.

    • Steglitz49

      The USA is 30 x more populous than Sweden. By that analogy it ought to have 32 leagues with 12 teams in each. In other words, some leagues belong to a state and some are shared between a couple of states. Solved at a stroke, eh what?!

      Sorry. You are German. So USA is only allowed 48 teams? OK, one team per state. But it takes 6 hours to fly from coast to shining coast and 3 to 4 hours from north to south. Berlin to the Canary Islands?

      Soccer is not a sport that is part of the American psyche. Soccer is English slang just like rugger is slang, but Americans have to use it because to them football means grid-iron — and there is a lot of grid-iron on their TV. Bayern Munich’s women average <250 spectators per game so far this year. Vow!

      As for the WNT, USA have the Olympic gold and the World cup silver — it is a lot more than the German WNT has. As for notable players, how about Alex Morgan, Saki Kumagai and Lotta Schelin?

      Please be constructive, not destructive.

      • sol1711

        2 worldchampion 2003, 2007

        7 european champian 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009
        german football is the best in the world.

        • Steglitz49

          Was, sol4711, was; not is.

          Japan are the reigning World champions (and Olympic silver medalists).

  • sol1711

    2 world champion 2003, 2007

    7 european champion 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009

    german women football is the best in the world.

    canada, founds its own league and make it to germany

    • Steglitz49

      Why only invite the Canadians? The Mexicans are putting money and effort into this new north-American league. Don’t disdain the Mexican ladies.

      Although there are about 25 American ladies playing abroad, I can’t remember any Canadians even though they did well at the last Olympics. Maybe the Canadians do not like to be away from north-America.

      Finally, Japan are the current World champions (they defeated Germany in Germany on their way to the final).

      • sol1711

        du verstehst das spiel nicht, man kann verlieren aber man muss wieder aufstehen.
        so wie es deutschland in der quali für die em 2013 in schweden gemacht hat, fast alle spiele gewonnen und nur ein unentschieden.
        und gegen amerika zwei mal unentschieden, ja wir deutsche kommen immer zurück.

        • Steglitz49

          Germany are clearly the favorites for Euro-13. It is less clear how to rank France because the team seems past its best-by-date and it is their U-17 side that is strong, not U-20.

          Wolfsburg will win the ladies’ CL.

          As for FIFA lady player of the year, I expect Miyama to get the nod but it would not surprise me if Alex Morgan takes it. It would be fitting if Morgan and Zlatan were chosen as a brace.