The Los Angeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer folded Thursday
after one season, despite the star power of world player of the
year Marta and a successful campaign that ended in the championship
game.
The franchise had been under league custody since November,
when Anschutz Entertainment Group gave back its ownership stake.
The league had been negotiating with prospective owners, but a deal
fell through and commissioner Tonya Antonucci decided to shutter
the club.
"We've been in several weeks of negotiations with an
ownership group and unfortunately it fell through at the last
minute," Antonucci told The Associated Press. "In terms of the
viability of Los Angeles as a WPS market, we don't think that's in
question. Suspending operations doesn't mean we won't be trying to
find new ownership for 2011."
The Sol drew a crowd of 14,832 to their opener last season,
and ended up averaging more than 6,200 fans for home games at Home
Depot Center. They finished the regular season 12-3-5, the best
record in the league, before losing 1-0 to Sky Blue FC in the
championship game.
Players will be dispersed during a draft Thursday, with
expansion franchises Atlanta and Philadelphia holding the first two
selections. Both teams will begin play in April, giving the league
eight teams and a balanced schedule.
"I think the eight committed markets and eight committed
owners, they're only stronger as a result of losing L.A.,"
Antonucci said. "Those owners feel very good about the foundation
they built in 2009. They're all committed to it, they're committed
to the long-term."
The biggest plum of the dispersal draft is Marta, who was
picked by FIFA as the world's best player for the fourth straight
year. The 23-year-old forward led the WPS in goals with 10, and is
expected to anchor Brazil at next year's World Cup in Germany.
Also expected to go quickly in the dispersal draft is Shannon
Boxx, who like Marta signed a multiyear, guaranteed contract.
Fellow midfielder Aya Miyama from Japan tied for the league lead in
assists, and Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc had a
league-leading 12 shutouts and 0.53 goals-against average for the
Sol.
Antonucci said folding the Los Angeles franchise should not
be considered a blemish on the league, which enjoyed a successful
first season despite launching during a worldwide recession.
The league tried to learn from the failed Women's United
Soccer Association, which lost $100 million in three years, and
followed a modest business model that included paying players an
average of about $32,000 per season. Teams also played in smaller,
more intimate stadiums that created an atmosphere that translated
well to television.
"We were obviously mindful of the economic condition,"
Antonnuci said. "For fans, we were an affordable sports experience,
we tried to make it very fan and family friendly, with the basic
notion of world-class play at low prices.
"We took a little bit of a bigger hit because we were brand
new, and we survived it."
Antonucci said the league is further along in ticket sales
and sponsorships than last year at this time, and just conducted an
amateur draft that featured what many observers have called the
best crop of college players in years. The league's all-star game
is also shifting from the end of the year to midseason to fall in
line with most other sports leagues.
The schedule for 2010 will expand because of the two new
franchises, with each team playing two additional home and away
matches. Several facilities are also being upgraded, and the first
venue built specifically for a WPS team is scheduled to open May 9
when Atlanta hosts Sky Blue.
"You have a young league, surviving through a tough economy,
with a unique best-of-breed soccer product for women," Antonnuci
said. "We're seeing growth with these two new franchises, and that
only increases our footprint."
