Portland, Seattle will have teams in new women's pro soccer league
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The U.S. Soccer Federation announced it will start a new women's professional league in 2013, and that Portland and Seattle will be two of the eight clubs.
The other teams are based in Boston, Chicago, western New York, New Jersey, Kansas City and Washington, D.C.
The season is expected to start in March or April and conclude in September or October.
Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson will also invest in the women's league. "We are pleased to partner with U.S. Soccer to bring a new women’s professional team to Portland and to do our part to make a top-flight women’s league possible in our country," Paulson said in an email.
"The Timbers are, and always will be, steadfastly committed to growing the sport of soccer in our region at all levels, and championing a new women’s league and operating a team here in Soccer City, USA, will be an important part of that growth," Paulson said.
Paulson says the new team's name, logo, roster, schedule and ticket information will be released in the coming weeks.
Well, I don't know if we'll attend many games, between my son's soccer involvement & the Timbers, but I'm glad to see this come to Soccer City USA. The football scene in metro PDX is alive and well, and I'm delighted to be part of it.
The seats will be filled with women who look like men.
I like soccer but I don't think women's soccer is a viable money maker. What Portland needs is an NHL team in the RG. It's a great venue for hockey as I've been to a few Winterhawks games there. It also has tons of parking which is always an issue for anything at Jeld-Wen field.
They need to have their uniforms made by "Victoria's Secret", then someone will actually watch. Â Maybe a wardrobe
malfunction once in a while.
I hope they have a plan / gimic to get people to go and see them. It seems that the fan base for womens professional sports is slim. If the WNBA is failing miserably what chance does this league have? I hope im wrong but in a year or so i expect to see the headline "Womens soccer league  fails".
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For some reason the phrase 'watching paint dry' came to mind when I read this.
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I find it sad how so many Americans show such disdain for Football. Yes, I called it Football. That's what it is. Only Americans seem to have the audacity to rename a sport that has been popular around the world for longer than our football and baseball have been in existence. I'm American through and through but I do find the way we treat soccer as a non-sport totally repulsive. OK, you don't like it. The keep your mouth shut about it or your fingers off the keyboard. It takes as much finesse to guide a ball with just a foot as it does to throw one with a hand, bounce one with a hand, or hit one with a stick. Probably more so. In any case, "soccer" is seeing a rise in attendance and in players in this country. I hope this trend continues. This is a great step forward and I am sure my nieces, who both play, will be thrilled. Oh, and Fox soccer is a wonderful channel for understanding the game for those who comment without ever watching a match. I thought I would give it a try a few months ago and found it to be very compelling and quite exciting. But, then again, I don't care much for our Big 3 sports.
 @Kymberlie2873 If you think it takes as much skill to kick a ball as it does to hit a 98mph baseball with a bat then you are indeed off your rocker.
There is a reason it is so popular around the world and it isnt because its so difficult.
 @Jack_Bauer  BS
 @Jack_Bauer  @Kymberlie2873 Try having a soccer ball coming directly at your face and you hit it with your head? Not only a skill but pretty brave too. Baseball has a bat as some defense against the ball. Soccer does not. Baseball players wear cups. Soccer players do not. Think before you type, please.
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 @HarryJuku BS
@HarryJuku I care about it, and so do millions of Americans, so you are incorrect.
No cash to support them? What about the investments by the Canadian, Mexican and US soccer federations? This is a fantastic development for the sport and soccer fans in Portland. Same haters before the Timbers moved to MLS. How many are on the season ticket wait list now (even in a less than productive year)? The women's team may not sell out, but they will be viable and there will be fans. The soccer community is here to stay and a professional club for women only makes us stronger. My family will be there.
Sweet! Once they figure out that renting Jeld-Wen Field costs more to rent than the 100 or so people who attend they will move to the U of Portland...and when they realize they can't cover that with admission profits they will move to a park somewhere and play.
See, unlike the WNBA, women's professional soccer has no cash cow to support them because they lose money year after year after year. No one cares about women's soccer just like no one cares about the WNBA. But I guess we need to keep up the facade that men's and women's sports are equally enjoyable to watch.
Enjoy bankruptcy US Soccer Federation!
Oh let's bring on the posts that say the soccer is boring and not a real sport and that they will fail just like the Timbers haven't. Ever try to get a ticket to a Timbers game? Not easy. Might be the same for the womens' league. Maybe they will inspire a new generation of girls to play soccer instead of hang out at the mall or smoke on the corner. Boo to all you naysayers. Â
 @peckishpete "like the Timbers haven't.."
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1. Portland was one of the worst teams in the league this year
2. You've yet to make the playoffs
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Yup, sounds like success for me. How your "we're not last place" trophy coming along?Â
 @PackersCougsBravesSounders The same exact statement could have been written about the Trailblazers after their second season. Yes, I'm that old.
 @peckishpete Soccer is a great sport...just not in the US. It is a JV sport here. And the reason it's difficult to get a ticket to a Timbers game is because they play in a tiny stadium. If capacity were increased to, say, 20,000 you would never see another game sell out.
 @stephcra   You do realize there are close to 15,000 season ticket holders, and the capacity at Jeld-Wed is already over 20,000 and every regular season game has been sold out for the past two seasons? Of course you didn't, your initial post already showed the rest of us how clueless you are.Â
 @msmikecol Oh Nephralgia, another one pops up with its $'s worth...
 @stephcra  @peckishpeteÂ
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The capacity of Jeld-Wen field is 22,000. Moron.
 @Duke Lancington Boy, are not you jolly-on-the-spot to point out a slight error while you wait for the ultimate operation...
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I give the league 2-3 years tops before it folds. Brings back memories of the World Football League and United States Football League.
COOL!
 @oodathunked Compared to what? Frisbee's and Hula-Hoops??
Is it too early to start laughing?
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 @Repoman Now stop it!! Nothing like a bunch of young women running around a field while we watch with our binoculars to see who is not wearing underwear...