On
29 March, the Los Angeles Sol and Marta, three-time FIFA Women's World
Player of the Year, take on the Washington Freedom in the inaugural
match of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), the new women's
professional soccer league in North America. WPS seeks to be the
premier women's soccer league in the world and the global standard by
which women's professional sports are measured.
There are seven teams for the 2009 season and several expansion teams
planned for 2010, with the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold
Pride (Northern California), Sky Blue FC (New Jersey/New York) and
Saint Louis Athletica kicking off their regular season the first
weekend in April. The US Women's National Team currently sit atop the
FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking and its players are a key part of
WPS, but the league will also feature top players from nearly a dozen
nations, drawn by a critical mass of global talent.
Two-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year Mia Hamm, who retired in
2004, said: "What is so wonderful about the WPS is the parity that is
seen in both the US player allocation, as well as the international
ones. You will have the strengths of different players from all over
the world displaying their skills on the field every week. When you see
names like [Kristine] Lilly, [Abby] Wambach, Marta, and [Kelly] Smith,
a fan can only get excited to see to see these players compete."
"First and foremost, I'm coming to a team that has a goal of nothing
less than winning championships," said Marta, on the appeal of joining
WPS. "The best players in the world are here in the US. and I didn't
want to be considered outside of that group."
The best players in the world are here in the US. and I didn't want to be considered outside of that group.
Marta on her decision to join WUSA.
Armed with a realistic strategy, top players and committed partners and
investors, WPS has no intention of suffering the same fate as the
Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), which folded in 2003. The
league is mindful of current economic challenges, has a strong cash
position, and additional revenue streams, such as nationwide camps,
that it feels will help it get through year one successfully. On the
eve of the inaugural season, the players are energized by the launch of
the league.
"It's a new challenge for me," said Kelly Smith of the Boston Breakers.
"The team is really coming together and we're just working hard to be
the best we can be. I'm excited and looking forward to every game."
"I'm so relieved that it's here," said Cat Whitehill of the Washington
Freedom. "I've been fortunate to play with the U.S. Women's National
Team, but now we get to play a lot of games in a row without having to
go overseas just to get a game in. I'm just thrilled."
The players have experienced a lot of uncertainty since the demise of
the WUSA, struggling to maintain their hope that a professional women's
league would soon return. "We were hoping for it to come back sooner
than it did," said Whitehill. "But the nice thing is that it has been
six years, which has provided ample time to figure out what we did
wrong in the previous league and what to do right in this league."
Watch us, watch us more than once. And watch us with an open mind because the women's game is just as beautiful.
Cat Whitehill makes an emotional plea to the fans.
Nicci Wright, a former WUSA goalkeeper who is now a goalkeeper coach at
a WPS team, added: "For the first couple of years, I thought the league
would be back for sure. But for five years, we just kept hearing ‘next
year, next year.' When I heard the league was really going to happen, I
thought it was great, just a little too late for some," she smiled.
Expectations are high regarding the level of play in WPS. And looking
ahead to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Germany™, there is a sense
that the existence of WPS will positively impact that competition. "WPS
will allow the domestic players to play in a competitive environment
everyday," said Hamm. "It will ask the most out of all of them and
players will be asked to take on different roles than they may have had
in other environments. I believe the players competing in the WPS will
be stronger and better prepared going into the World Cup."
"What you could see in 2003 [at the time of the WUSA] was that a
different player pool came to us," said Hope Solo of Saint Louis
Athletica. "I have a feeling that [because of WPS] we are going to find
a few gems that we wouldn't have known about otherwise." Marta added:
"I think that [the existence of the league] will be very important,
especially for players from my national team, to have the opportunity
to play years of games at a very high level."
WPS players are hopeful that their world class product will find a
following. "Watch us, watch us more than once. And watch us with an
open mind because the women's game is just as beautiful," said
Whitehill. "We love the game and you're going to see a certain passion.
It's going to be exciting and if you let yourself let it be exciting,
you'll be pleasantly surprised." WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci
added: "Now it's time to show the fans what they want to see; world
class football played by the world's best players."
