In a telling sign that Major League Soccer has a little more business acumen than the WUSA is this article in USA Today.
The USSF staff and MLS’ central office and teams are providing virtually all of the tournament’s organizational and business-side structure.
The league’s investors also took considerable risks when they built soccer-specific stadiums in Columbus, Ohio, and Carson, Calif., and when they assembled a production and marketing entity that paid a reported $40 million for the U.S. English-language TV rights to the 2002 and 2006 men’s World Cups, as well as this Women’s World Cup.
Now they stand to reap a reward in the form of TV ad sales, corporate sponsorship deals and stadium fees.