The WUSA is coming back!

[Davyjones]

Hey gang!

I read news reports that the WUSA, the women's professional soccer league, will be starting up again in 2008! I am very jazzed about this! I always thought that a professional women's soccer league was a great idea here in the states; that's why I was extremely bummed when the WUSA died off. The league was great but I think the financial planning and backing was not thought out thoroughly enough. But I am happy to see it coming back! I even still have my old Mia Hamm Washington Freedom jersey! Never going to give that up!

They say that by 2008 the league will be up and running again. It will no longer be called the WUSA, but it still doesn't have a name either. There will be teams in LA, Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago and Washington (I'm assuming D.C.). Also, there is currently backing for a 6th team, but they are trying to find a proper city to put them in. Many of the teams will be playing in soccer specific stadiums which are used by MLS teams, such as the Home Depot Center and Toyota Park. If all goes well the first year, they want to add 2 more teams! I'd LOVE to have one here in Indianapolis, but it's not going to happen. So, I'll probably end up rooting for whatever team the majority of my favorite players are on.

This just brightened what was a dreary, rainy day here in Indy! I'm so happy!!!

Any thoughts?

[Advnt05]

I'm glad that it's coming back. I used to enjoy going to see the Atlanta Beat play. We were lucky that they were good and got to see some quality soccer.
I'm not sure how it's going to work though putting them in cities that have MLS teams. It seems like the MLS games are not sold out and if that's the case, not many people would go to the women's games. I would think that they would do better in towns that had no professional soccer so the town would get behind them.

[Davyjones]

Thanks for the thought!

I'm not sure that the intent was to pair them up with an MLS team. I think the planners picked cities which have shown they will have strong soccer support within the community. They probably see it as a bonus that they can use the soccer specific stadiums in those cities. Which, of course, leaves out Indianapolis. I do hope that they have the sponsorship to continue the league this time.

[TheAdventurer]

As an MLS fan I'm still very jaded when it comes to women's soccer. I was one of the many soccer fans who supported the US Women's team in WWC '99 only to have them tell MLS and their fans that they didn't need us to "hold them back," and then I watched in glee as WUSA attempted to take MLS head on and failed miserably, and I rejoiced at the demise of WUSA.

I suppose I shouldn't hold the current crop of women players culpable for the sins of Julie Foudy, but they're going to have to win me over; I'm not going to support them just in the interest of supporting soccer in general like I did in '99.

[disneydeb]

Yay!