MLS Embraces Women’s League
Common sense has prevailed and Major League Soccer will not try to go head to head with the Women’s United Soccer Assn. Instead, MLS and WUSA will work together to launch a women’s professional league in April 2001.
Meanwhile, the eight WUSA teams are beginning to take shape. On Wednesday, the league divided 24 top U.S. players among the clubs, including 19 of the 20 players on the 1999 Women’s World Cup-winning team.
Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. team to its world championship last summer and who now is acting commissioner of WUSA, said three criteria had come into play.
“First of all, we did get input from the players,” he said. “We think that that’s important.
“The second thing was geographical considerations because of the marketability implications. We want to have those hometown heroes available in those markets.
“The third one was competitive balance, and that isn’t complete yet because we still are looking at foreign player allocations later this summer.”
The U.S. players assigned to clubs:
* Atlanta: goalkeeper Briana Scurry; forward Cindy Parlow; midfielder Nikki Serlenga.
* Boston: midfielder Kristine Lilly; defender Kate Sobrero; goalkeeper Tracy Ducar.
* New York: forward Tiffeny Milbrett; midfielder Sara Whalen; defender Christie Pearce.
* Orlando: midfielder Michelle Akers; forward Danielle Fotopoulos; midfielder/defender Tiffany Roberts.
* Philadelphia: midfielder Lorrie Fair; goalkeeper Saskia Webber; forward Mandy Clemens.
* San Diego: midfielder Julie Foudy; defender Joy Fawcett; forward Shannon MacMillan.
* San Francisco: defender Brandi Chastain; midfielder Tisha Venturini; goalkeeper Lakeysia Beene.
* Washington: forward Mia Hamm; goalkeeper Siri Mullinix; defender Michelle French.
The only 1999 world champion missing from the lineup is team captain Carla Overbeck.
“I am planning on getting pregnant right after the Olympics,” Overbeck said Wednesday. “So I’m going to take the first year off and then join up with the league in its second year. I would love to play as many years as I can.”
COOPERATION
After six months of negotiations, MLS and WUSA hammered out a working agreement under which MLS decided to forgo forming a women’s league of its own.
Instead, there will be cross-investment and broad cooperation between the leagues in the areas of marketing and promotion, scheduling and stadium development.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber described the agreement as “a comprehensive cooperation plan” and said it “combines MLS’ soccer business experience and the media power of WUSA,” which counts Time-Warner, Comcast, Discovery Communications and Cox Communications among its investors. WUSA also has a four-year television contract with Turner Broadcasting.
John Hendricks, WUSA’s chairman, echoed Garber. “For a league starting out to have the full support of MLS with all its experience is invaluable to us,” he said, “and we bring a lot of media weight to the table.”
Both leagues have made a commitment to operate a team in each other’s league by 2002. Because that is when the Galaxy plans to open its stadium in Carson and because owner Phil Anschutz has made clear his support for the women’s game, it is possible that Los Angeles could get a WUSA expansion team that year.
COMPENSATION
Suddenly, women’s soccer has become a career opportunity. WUSA teams will operate under an $800,000 salary cap, with player salaries averaging $40,000.
“We’re very proud of that figure,” DiCicco said.
The world champions will earn considerably more than that--probably in the six-figure range--while young players just out of college will receive less.
Each team will feature four foreign stars, two to be allocated by the league and two to be selected by the teams themselves.
EXPANSION
Former MLS commissioner Doug Logan used to talk about the need for the league to have “a bigger national footprint.” Now, Garber has indicated it will not be long in coming.
“We intend to add two teams by 2002 and . . . plan to expand by two additional teams by 2004,” Garber said.
Rochester, N.Y., is a good bet to land one of the first expansion teams, while San Diego appears a solid candidate to get a team by 2004.
