International player Allocation Draft

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Permalink Reply by Quirky Koala on September 26, 2008 at 1:27pm

Kelly Smith did an interview with English paper the Mirror in May and was specifically asked about moving the women's professional soccer league. In the interview she said she couldn't rule it out because if one of the teams made a big offer she would have to consider it but at the moment she isn't looking to move, playing in the American league is something she's already done and she is settled in a life back in England and is happy. (I've looked for the interview but can't seem to find it on the site)

However, at the moment things don't seem to be going too well for Arsenal, they lost 4 of their best young players to Chelsea over the summer, their manager for 21 years Vic Akers has announced that after this season he's going to step down to take a desk job within Arsenal and three other first team players have been approached by WPS teams, so I think things may be more uncertain for Arsenal ladies this year than they ever have been.

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Permalink Reply by Dan on September 26, 2008 at 3:39pm

Yes and no. With the FA announcement of the new league over there though England just got alot more appealing again for anyone already over there.

Quirky Koala said:

Kelly Smith did an interview with English paper the Mirror in May and was specifically asked about moving the women's professional soccer league. In the interview she said she couldn't rule it out because if one of the teams made a big offer she would have to consider it but at the moment she isn't looking to move, playing in the American league is something she's already done and she is settled in a life back in England and is happy. (I've looked for the interview but can't seem to find it on the site)

However, at the moment things don't seem to be going too well for Arsenal, they lost 4 of their best young players to Chelsea over the summer, their manager for 21 years Vic Akers has announced that after this season he's going to step down to take a desk job within Arsenal and three other first team players have been approached by WPS teams, so I think things may be more uncertain for Arsenal ladies this year than they ever have been.

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Permalink Reply by Quirky Koala on September 27, 2008 at 1:36am

Dan said:

Yes and no. With the FA announcement of the new league over there though England just got alot more appealing again for anyone already over there.

We'll be able to say more when we know more about the FA's plans. Playing in the summer when the men's game is not playing will help the popularity and hopefully get more money from TV contracts etc, but it's the centralised contracts I'm worried about.

In the past the FA has shown conpleted disrespect and indiference to the women's players. For example, the FA paid the Englands women's team on average £40 per days when they were at the world cup representing their country, most of the women had taken time off work to play in the competition. I'm in a minimum wage job and I can raise £40 working 6 hours.

Hopfully the FA will be worried about loosing all their good players to America and ahow the women the respect they deserve, but I think the American league is going to look very appealing to most of the young players with no ties.

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Permalink Reply by JanderVK on September 27, 2008 at 8:24am

James K said:

Which team's picks do you like the most?

Chicago Red Stars: Caroline Jonsson (Sweden)

Los Angeles: Margret Lara Vidarsdottir (Iceland)

These are my two favorites, and it's also an excuse for my Scandinavian friends to come visit which is a bonus! :) Chicago vs. LA games would be quite fun for me!

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Permalink Reply by JanderVK on September 27, 2008 at 8:32am

StarCityFan said:

JanderVK said:

What no World Cup 2003 & 2007 champions?! ;b Shame...

That has to have more to do with the belief that the German players are tied to their Bundesliga teams than to the quality of the players.

It was a bit of sarcasm ;) We have many years to come to see great players from Deutschland in the WPSL!

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Permalink Reply by Leyla on September 28, 2008 at 12:37am

Seems like WPS is closer to signing Marta, this is the story from Sweden:

http://dandal.webblogg.se/index.html

De Vanna to replace Marta in Umeå?
Umeå IK's management is looking less and less optimistic about the club's chances to keep Marta. "The Americans have the upper hand now", said sport director Britta Åkerlund yesterday. "The American league is extremely anxious to get Marta, the same way they brought over David Beckham. I think they are prepared to go very far to reach their goal", she concluded.
A rumour, retold by tabloid Expressen, says that the Los Angeles WPS club, that drafted Marta, is prepared to pay her between SEK 8 and 10 millions a year - far out of reach for any Swedish club. Marta's present salary from Umeå is about SEK 1 million a year. Personal contracts gives her almost another million. That is still far from the rumoured American offer and Marta has stated that if the difference between the offers are big, the money will decide "I want to be able to help provide for my family", she has explained.
Nonetheless, there are now three Swedish clubs giving offers to Marta. In addition to Umeå IK and LDB FC Malmö, Linköping FC has announced their interest. Linköping has done this the last few years and sport director Anders Mäki says that "it would be criminal not to try to get Marta".
Expressen: Amerikansk miljonjakt på Marta
Fotbollskanalen: Marta lämnar Umeå (video)

USA's national team coach Pia Sundhage says in an interview that she is confident that Marta will go to the WPS league. And, furthermore, that she should go: "She will be playing with gold medalists. The quality will be higher than in Damallsvenskan. The Swedish league is too uneven. In USA there will be world class players in every team."
SVT: Sundhage: "Marta flyttar till USA"

Losing Marta, as hurtful as it might be for Umeå, could be a blessing in disguise. The money used for Marta's salary can easily pay two world class players. Umeå's manager Andrée Jeglertz has revealed that the club has taken steps to begin talk's with AIK's prolific goalscorer Lisa De Vanna. De Vanna will however only be interesting if the club fails to keep Marta.
Västerbottenskuriren: De Vanna kan ersätta Marta

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Permalink Reply by Yo6landa on September 28, 2008 at 10:47pm

Wow,

That's some great researching, Leyla! Phrased like that, it sounds like Marta's almost a sure thing at this point. Clearly, the money aspect is huge, but I would imagine that an athlete like Marta would see the potential benefits of playing with top international athletes, but would the WPS league really end up being that much higher of a caliber than the Swedish league? If the WPS league truly could be more challenging for her and could pay more, I can't believe she wouldn't join, and if she goes to WPS, i can't help but get my hopes up that the rest of the Brazilians would follow. It will be exciting to see how it all goes down! I do kind of find it hard to believe that all these international players would just drop everything and race to the U.S. that has no consistently successful women's pro track record.
Leyla said:

Seems like WPS is closer to signing Marta, this is the story from Sweden:

http://dandal.webblogg.se/index.html

De Vanna to replace Marta in Umeå?
Umeå IK's management is looking less and less optimistic about the club's chances to keep Marta. "The Americans have the upper hand now", said sport director Britta Åkerlund yesterday. "The American league is extremely anxious to get Marta, the same way they brought over David Beckham. I think they are prepared to go very far to reach their goal", she concluded.
A rumour, retold by tabloid Expressen, says that the Los Angeles WPS club, that drafted Marta, is prepared to pay her between SEK 8 and 10 millions a year - far out of reach for any Swedish club. Marta's present salary from Umeå is about SEK 1 million a year. Personal contracts gives her almost another million. That is still far from the rumoured American offer and Marta has stated that if the difference between the offers are big, the money will decide "I want to be able to help provide for my family", she has explained.
Nonetheless, there are now three Swedish clubs giving offers to Marta. In addition to Umeå IK and LDB FC Malmö, Linköping FC has announced their interest. Linköping has done this the last few years and sport director Anders Mäki says that "it would be criminal not to try to get Marta".
Expressen: Amerikansk miljonjakt på Marta
Fotbollskanalen: Marta lämnar Umeå (video)

USA's national team coach Pia Sundhage says in an interview that she is confident that Marta will go to the WPS league. And, furthermore, that she should go: "She will be playing with gold medalists. The quality will be higher than in Damallsvenskan. The Swedish league is too uneven. In USA there will be world class players in every team."
SVT: Sundhage: "Marta flyttar till USA"

Losing Marta, as hurtful as it might be for Umeå, could be a blessing in disguise. The money used for Marta's salary can easily pay two world class players. Umeå's manager Andrée Jeglertz has revealed that the club has taken steps to begin talk's with AIK's prolific goalscorer Lisa De Vanna. De Vanna will however only be interesting if the club fails to keep Marta.
Västerbottenskuriren: De Vanna kan ersätta Marta

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Permalink Reply by carmela the marta fan on September 28, 2008 at 11:08pm

I agree with your comments on WPS being very very confident about its ability to become THE premier league in the world going into its inaugural season. It's setting its hopes high by targeting pretty much the entire Brazilian national team players and other top international players. However, given the fact that the USWNT did win Gold, it's all more than just mere talk. Sure, soccer isn't necessairly the most popular sport right now in the US, but just look at how much it has grown in the last 10 years and will continue to breed fans moving forward. It's crazy that I have to scrape to find tickets to Chicago Fire games. I just went to a sold out game this past week, with over 20,000 fans in the house!

I'm also keeping an eye out on the success of the WNBA, see the support that league has generated over the years. Do I think we're gonna have 10,000 fans for WPS in the stadium seats right off the bat? Maybe, probably not. However, as we continue to grow, I foresee this league having huge success. Plus, it has been stated that the WPS is aiming to have 5,000 fans per game, which is a reasonable goal. That is well over average of what Sweden's top teams average. Granted Sweden has a fraction of the US population, but it goes to show that the demands are realistic to start.

For this league to be a success, it is going to rely on grassroot support. Season tickets, fans telling others about the league, getting friends and families out to support. That's what makes this so fun. Fan by fan, we will each take a hand in building this league and ensuring its success.

I'm happy that LA is going bold and looking to sign Marta at the hefty price tag she demands. It suggests that there is a level of confidence in WPS being able to succeed or they wouldn't even attempt, I imagine. I also think that having the Brazilian women's national team coach come to St Louis gives the league more legitimacy and lures more top international players over. I doubt he would come if he thought this league would fold.

So, yes, in so many words, WPS is laying the foundation going into its first season of becoming the top league on the planet. It will only become more dynamic and successful as we move forward. It is going to come down to the combination of our rich talent, proven success of US players and international players. The US Olympic Gold definitely legitimizes that, yes, soccer is here to stay in the States, and we know the sport well enough to embark on this WPS project.

I say, let's celebrate. Things are looking good. I encourage as many people to get season tickets as possible. I have mine and may even get a mini package to support the LA team if they sign Marta just to prove that this was a worthwhile investment, assuming they move forward in paying her what she's worth.

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Permalink Reply by JanderVK on September 28, 2008 at 11:24pm

carmela the marta fan said:

For this league to be a success, it is going to rely on grassroot support. Season tickets, fans telling others about the league, getting friends and families out to support. That's what makes this so fun. Fan by fan, we will each take a hand in building this league and ensuring its success.<</div>

Exactly, and that's what makes it so exciting! :)

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Permalink Reply by WPS on September 30, 2008 at 2:23pm

Here is each team with USWNT players and possible International Players (chosen in the draft) with their positions...

(More player info and bios at Women's Pro Soccer


Bay Area - Albertin Montoya
Nicole Barnhart - Goalkeeper
Rachel Buehler -Defender
Leslie Osborne - Midfielder
Formiga (Brazil) - Midfielder
Christine Sinclair (Canada) -Forward
Eriko Arakawa (Japan) -Forward
Erika (Brazil) -Defender

Boston Breakers - Tony DiCicco
Angela Hucles - Midfielder
Kristine Lilly – Midfielder/Forward
Heather Mitts -Defender
Kelly Smith (England) – Forward
Fabiana (Brazil) - Forward
Maycon (Brazil) - Midfielder
Shinobu Ohno (Japan) -Forward

Chicago Red Stars - Emma Hayes
Carli Lloyd - Midfielder
Kate Markgraf - Defender
Lindsay Tarpley - Forward
Cristiane (Brazil) - Forward
Heather Garriock (Australia) - Midfielder
Karen Carney (England) - Forward
Caroline Jonsson (Sweden) - Goalkeeper

Los Angeles - Abner Rogers
Shannon Boxx - Midfielder
Stephanie Cox – Defender/Midfielder
Aly Wagner - Midfielder
Marta (Brazil) - Forward
Aya Miyama (Japan) - Midfielder
Han Duan (China) - Forward
Margret Lara Vidarsdottir (Iceland) - Forward

Sky Blue FC - Ian Sawyers
Natasha Kai - Forward
Heather O'Reilly - Forward
Christie Rampone - Defender
Kelly Parker (Canada) - Midfielder
Sarah Walsh (Australia) - Forward
Rosana (Brazil)- Midfielder
Ester (Brazil) - Midfielder

St. Louis - Jeff Cooper
Lori Chalupny - Midfielder
Tina Ellertson - Defender
Hope Solo - Goalkeeper
Daniela Alves (Brazil) - Midfielder
Renata Costa (Brazil)- Defender
Lotta Schelin (Sweden) - Forward
Melissa Tancredi (Canada) - Forward

Washington Freedom - Jim Gabarra
Ali Krieger – Midfielder/Defender
Abby Wambach - Forward
Cat Whitehill - Defender
Homare Sawa (Japan) - Midfielder
Sonia Bompastor (France) - Defender
Lisa De Vanna (Australia) - Forward
Louisa Nécib (France) - Midfielder







Eleanor said:

Can someone list the international players by WPS team and position? Not all of us know who they are . . .

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Permalink Reply by Leyla on September 30, 2008 at 10:49pm

Cristiane wants to come to the WPS

Yay!!!!!!!


http://dandal.webblogg.se/index.html

Linköping giving up on Cristiane
"She has been fairly clear about that she prefers to go to USA" said Linköping's sport director Anders Mäki about Linköping's chances to re-sign Brazilian forward Cristiane. He continues stating that the club hasn't closed any doors, but it seems unlikely that Cristiane would return to Linköping.

That, on the other hand, should increase their chances to keep this season's teen sensation Kosovare Asllani. Asllani, who made a brilliant national team debut last weekend, had to compete with Cristiane for a place as a starter and has said that she is looking for a club where something like that won't happen. Now it seems like Linköping, besides offering her a salary "more in tune with her market value", also might give her some assurance of being part of the starting eleven.

Corren: Ingen Cristiane i LFC: "Långt borta"

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Permalink Reply by chevy on October 5, 2008 at 3:56pm

So far it looks like Ingvild Stensland, Heather Garriock, Christane and Marta are pretty much locks to be in the league.

It is looking like the new Aussie league will take place during the fall and through the winter months so Lisa De Vanna and Sarah Walsh are looking like promising locks as well.

The Japanese players are in the middle of their season right now and said they wouldn't comment on their intentions. That could change.

From the way the English newspapers are talking they seem to think the women's soccer world is coming to an end over there if their players leave. So the players have a tough choice to make.

The Swedes Caroline Jonsson and Lotta Schelin are anybody's guess. Jonsson looks promising Schelin is just starting a new contract so their might be some difficulty there, although she had 3 goals and 2 assists in her 1st game with Lyon so she might be looking for some competition.

The rest of the Brazilians I haven't found any info on at all but being in the southern hemisphere I would suspect they could play the bulk of a club season in the winter months down there making them available to play summers up here.

From the sounds coming out of the Swedish league Marta could be signed by LA as early as this week. It will be for a hefty price by the sound of it, but if the rumors are true and the salary cap is set at $3.5 million LA should have enough room left to sign the rest of their players.

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