Six Months and Counting for the WUSA

The Olympics are over and it's back to reality for the athletes and coaches. The women of the U.S. National Soccer Team will go on a tour to the WUSA cities. For these 18 women, the Olympics are a thing of the past and they have a new league to promote. Many of the athletes on the various Olympic teams will be coming to the U.S. to play for the WUSA in April.

The league launch is only six months away and the gears are churning over at the WUSA front office. They are working on filling front office staffs and securing stadia. The collegiate soccer season is in full swing and many of the seniors will be looking to the WUSA to start their professional careers. Last year's class of seniors will hopefully try and be a part of the WUSA. Athletes from the Class of 1999 like Notre Dame's Jen Grubb and LaKeysia Beene will hopefully take the field again as pro athletes. There is a lot of talent in the NCAA, enough to fill the WUSA's rosters and then some. Then there's the W-League. Many people aren't aware of America's women's semi-pro soccer league. The teams of the W-League are in large and medium-sized cities throughout the U.S. Despite the launch of the WUSA, the W-League is looking to expand next summer. In all likelyhood, the W-1 League could expand beyond its originally planned 16 teams to include more California and Arizona teams. Some more Pacific Northwest teams could also be added. Teams in Kansas City, Minnesota and Phoenix will be added for the 2001 season. The W-League will inevitably lose some players to the WUSA but those graduating seniors and other athletes who don't make it into the WUSA in the first year will still need a place to play competitive soccer. The W-League is their answer. Also, there are a few teams who will not return for the W-League next season including Delaware, New Brunswick and Atlanta. The North Texas Heat and the Denver Diamonds will no longer exist but teams are in the works to replace them. The 2000 W-1 League champs, the Chicago Cobras, and the W-2 League champs, the Springfield Sirens, will be changing leagues also.

The personalities of the U.S. Women's National Team, the successes of the team over the past two years and the emergence of soccer's popularity will sell the league. The tour in October will help also. Now, the powers-that-be at the WUSA are focused on securing stadia and forming the teams. After those are place, team names, uniforms and ticket sales will be next on the horizon for the WUSA front office and the team front offices. Six months and counting before women's professional soccer hits the U.S.

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