Bad news today for fans of Women's Soccer in the United States. Women's Professional Soccer, the league that just last year was granted top flight status by US Soccer, has folded and dissolved the league permanently. Earlier this year WPS canceled it's 2012 season, hoping to regroup and return next season. Looks like it wasn't to be.
The league was already in dire straights last season when it clashed with the owner of the MagicJack franchise and expelled the team. He then filed a lawsuit against the league, accusing them of failing to adhere to their own procedures. WPS also announced today that it had reached a confidential settlement in the case, but it apparently wasn't enough to save the league.
The end of WPS closes another troubled chapter in the history of Women's Soccer in the United States. The previous women's league, WUSA, also folded after three seasons. It started up trying to ride the wave of the Women's World Cup in 1999. Despite large viewership for the 2011 version of the World Cup, once again a women's league failed to garner the viewership and investment needed to sustain it.
WPS wasn't really my thing. Honestly I think that the level of soccer played in USL's W-League is pretty much just as good. Still, it's a sad day not only for fans of the league, but it will also serve to limit the opportunities for young women to play pro soccer in the USA. I would encourage fans of the women's game to check into and support the W-League.
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