USL W-League Feature
Monday, April 27, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Women’s National Team striker Alex Morgan had a dilemma. With the 2012 WPS season canceled the 22-year-old rising U.S. star knew she would need to get in some quality games before the 2012 Summer Olympics kick off in London in late July. Having had a taste of the W-League’s high level of play in 2010 with the Pali Blues, Morgan knew exactly where she wanted to be.
“Looking forward [after playing for Pali] I wanted to continue my career and play with another W-League team, and fortunately it worked out this year in Seattle,” said Morgan, who has joined the Seattle Sounders Women for the 2012 W-League season. “I know so many players that have played on teams in the W-League and I grew up watching the W-League and seeing it grow as a league, so I knew it was very well organized and put together.”
Morgan wasn’t alone in her thinking. Eight of her U.S. teammates have already signed to play in the W-League in 2012 and more are expected to follow suit. Already on the list are Hope Solo (Seattle Sounders Women), Becky Sauerbrunn (D.C. United Women), Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Sounders Women), Stephanie Cox (Seattle Sounders Women), Yael Averbuch (New Jersey Wildcats), Sydney Leroux (Seattle Sounders Women), Whitney Engen (Pali Blues) and Keelin Winters (Seattle Sounders Women).
In the absence of WPS, the W-League has reclaimed its previously-held post as the top level of women’s soccer in North America. Not only will it be the most competitive league in the United States and Canada, but the W-League will continue to operate at unparalleled standards that put players in a professional environment, regardless of team. In addition to the U.S. stars, the W-League will also feature international stars from Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Italy and Australia in 2012.
Rapinoe is looking forward to her first W-League experience in Seattle, and said it’s crucial that a top-level women’s league is thriving in the U.S.
“I think it’s vastly important,” said the midfielder who rose to national prominence when she set up Abby Wambach’s stoppage-time equalizer against Brazil at the 2011 Women’s World Cup. “The experience and the minutes we’re going to get in the games are huge. It’s one thing to be in [the USWNT camp] environment training your butt off, but it’s a completely different atmosphere to play games and I think it’s huge for development, confidence, creativity, all of that, so I’m really looking forward to getting some games in.”
Sauerbrunn, who has played in four previous W-League seasons with the Boston Renegades, Richmond Kickers Destiny and Washington Freedom Futures, credited her time in the W-League with helping her to reach her current level.
“[Playing in the W-League] helped me to develop immensely,” the former University of Virginia star said. “I was playing with a lot of older girls, other collegiate players, a lot of internationals, and the more you play the better you’ll get.”
With U.S Women’s National Team players playing alongside and against some of the games top young players in the W-League this season, the development of the game will continue as players like Sauerbrunn, Rapinoe and Averbuch pass on the lessons they’ve learned in their careers.
But it’s not just on the field where development is occurring. Off the field, the growing trend that has seen clubs like the Sounders Women and D.C. United Women partner with existing MLS clubs has the potential to create a greater level of stability for the domestic women’s game.
“Just having a name that people recognize in the soccer community is very helpful,” Sauerbrunn said. “I think a lot of the problem with the women’s game is that maybe we’re not getting our name out there enough, so when you pair up with a D.C. United or a Seattle Sounders, people know who they are, so I just hope it helps generate interest.”
Rapinoe agreed that W-League teams can benefit from affiliations with MLS squads in established soccer markets.
“Maybe it has a little bit to do with the cities, and the cities accepting both teams and getting behind them,” she said. “The MLS [teams] are obviously doing really well and being supported by their cities, so hopefully we can piggyback off that as much as possible.”
Maybe the best example of this is the Sounders Women, who seem to be cornering the market on U.S. talent with six current USWNT players on their roster. While other clubs have their own internationals, with Vancouver boasting five Canadian stars including recently signed Kaylyn Kyle, Melanie Booth and Brittany Timko on its roster, the Sounders Women have shown what could be further down the line for the W-League and the women’s game as a whole.
If a pair of sold out preseason contests are any indication, with another sellout expected for Friday night’s exhibition against the University of Washington, it could be a special season for the women’s team in the Emerald City.
“Seattle is an amazing soccer city and the fans have been so supportive of us,” Morgan said. “It’s really run as a professional team and I’m really happy with my experience so far. We’ve had sold out crowds in preseason games, which is pretty unreal. I couldn’t be happier with the position I’m in right now.”