Women’s Professional Soccer schedule is standard, playoff format is radical
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Women’s Professional Soccer, which launches its inaugural season on March 29 when the Los Angeles Sol plays host to the Washington Freedom, has released its 2009 season schedule.
There wasn’t much excitement about that. Each of the seven teams will play the other six three times, with two additional games against regional rivals for a total of 20 games, 10 home and 10 away.
The regular season ends on Aug. 9, at which point things get a bit more interesting.
Under the league’s innovative format, the team that finishes the regular season in first place advances directly to the league championship final on Aug. 22, which it will host. The ‘playoffs’ consist of basically two games -- the third-place team playing the fourth-place team for the right to play the second-place team, with the winner of that match going on to the final.
Charlie Naimo, general manager of the Sol, said the format is ideal:
I love it. I love it. I just think it’s great to reward the regular-season champion. It really gives the regular season more meaning. Every game matters. Getting that bye and hosting that championship is just a great way to showcase a great season. And it allows a few weeks to market the hosting of a championship, which obviously we hope we are a part of.
Major League Soccer, whose regular season often drifts off into indifference, could do worse than consider following the WPS lead.
Meanwhile, the league’s great Brazilian hope, Marta, is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles in about two weeks, with a David Beckham-style welcome planned for the three-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year who will lead the Sol attack.
-- Grahame L. Jones