The women’s league is hoping to make a limited comeback next year
The tentative plan is for the league to have a small presence next summer, before the Athens Olympics. The form would be in a handful of “festivals” featuring games between the original teams and other activities. The festivals would be self-funded, through tickets and sponsorship. Such a plan would keep the WUSA name alive and help bridge a year of reorganization.
When the league was set to launch, I had hoped that politics could be set aside and that the men’s and women’s leaagues would cooperate in a meaningful way. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and it seems like that window of opportunity won’t come back.
The players originally wanted a league of their own. They wanted it to be first-class, and they didn’t want to be ruled by the males in their sport. In retrospect, they should have cooperated with Major League Soccer, sharing staffing and stadium costs. Such a joint effort is one of the things Cummings — who previously worked for MLS’s New England Revolution — is studying. MLS, however, may not be interested now that it has staunched some of its own bleeding.