Where’s is the womens game you ask?
With the retirement of Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Carla Overbeck, and Brandi Chastain womens soccer has taken a hit and lies way below the radar.
The college game is priority while a poorly designed set up for failure WUSA professional womens league is long gone.
This past Sunday the U.S. Womens National team won the Gold Cup over Canada 2-1 and have advanced to the 2007. The crowd was sparse at the Home Depot Center and a far cry from the energized fans who used to come out and watch Hamm and co.
US coach Greg Ryan has been successful in grooming a number of younger womens players into the squad like Natasha Kai, Lori Chalupny, Heather O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo (current number one goalkeeper over Briana Scurry), and Leslie Osborne.
Osborne in fact has taken to the defensive midfield role vacated by Shannon Boxx in fine fashion and scored in the final against Canada along with Kristine Lilly.
Lilly and Abby Wambach are the two dominating figures on the team but at the 2007 World Cup youth could be king.
Look for the U.S. Women to go into a four month residency camp from April-July with numerous domestic games around the country being played to prepare the team and to hopefully again spike interest before the women head off to the Far East for the World Cup finals. Expect the to make a visit to Houston .
The question is can womens soccer make a bigger impact out of it’s strong participatory culture or are we dreaming to think a womens professional league can be successful?
US WOMEN HEADED TO WORLD CUP, ARE YOU INTERESTED?
November 29, 2006 5 Comments
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I think if we did like they do in England and have a women’s team as part of the Dynamo and have a Female US Open Cup with TV coverage. Why isn’t there a female sports channel? I think that would be a big step. I wouldn’t mind watching it at all!
I watched the Women’s Gold cup final. It was a nail biter till the end. Very exciting stuff. I was especially impressed with Canada and how far they have come. I always try to watch the Women’s games when they are being shown.They have inspired a generation of young boys and girls to participate in this beautiful game.While there is no Mia Hamm or Julie Foudy in the game, there certainly is plenty of great talent coming to the fore. Keep up the great coverage ,Glen. We need your voice in Houston.
The US was the dominant team in the world from the 1990s to early 2000s, but what about the future? Brazil’s men team is unique because of their dedication to soccer. I wonder if the US women can remain among the elite teams in the following decades.
That may determine wheter a women’s league returns or not.
I absolutely agree with Robb. The largest mistake the women ever made was trying to go it on their own with their league. The English club model may not work for all of its aspects here in the states, but their example of how to develop the women’s game is exemplary. They have a league championship and a women’s FA Cup. Everything mirrors the men. I do not know if their academy system will every spread to the women’s side, but that is an area that will probably come in the future if not already.
MLS could easily support the women’s side when the percentage of soccer specific stadia is higher. Revenue streams in MLS will be more favorable much sooner than the women’s model could ever have a prayer of creating. That they would go it alone is astonishing to me. This sport needs as much cooperation between entities as possible and the women not only hurt themselves, but missed an opportunity to help the whole sport in this country.
Cheers.
Where will the womens game go? No womens sport really has been a proven spectator sport over the long haul.
A women’s league will return but under strict finances and fiscal control (hey what an idea that was missed the first time) fact is many intelligent and some not so intelligent people were caught up in the magic and feel good of the 99 womens world cup.
Everyone would have wanted that to be a platform for a professional league with roots.
Glenn