Allocation & expansion franchises

So seriously, anybody know if/how allocation will be an option for Atlanta/Philadelphia?

No allocation from the WNT pool, regular allocation (like the rest of the franchises) with 1 year loans to other teams, or some special allocation next year for newcomers to the league?

Loans are very common in Men's soccer, but I don't know if that would fly in a US-based, new women's league. Maybe too confusing for the casual soccer fan.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn McNeil on September 19, 2008 at 5:25pm: Cougar Coach said:
Hey, I said closer! :) Fan fav indeed. Moore, Mitts and Pichon were golden for my daughter and I back then.

Worth the gamble for the couple years she has left. She could teach the younguns a thing or two. Can you picture her up top with Amy Rodriguez?

It sucks we have to sit on the sidelines til 2010.

You can always slide up the turnpike to a few Sky Blue games if you're jonesing for a little WPS next year.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cougar Coach on September 20, 2008 at 8:52pm: Robyn McNeil said:
You can always slide up the turnpike to a few Sky Blue games if you're jonesing for a little WPS next year.

Philadelphians don't tend to travel up the turnpike unless we are following our team up there to kick NY/NJ butt. I will admit that it will be tough to cheer against Sky Blue with Kai on the team.

Yeah, we strayed of topic a bit...but we're still talking soccer. GO CHARGE!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jeff Chambers on September 22, 2008 at 5:42pm: Along with Philly and Atlanta, there is a chance that Dallas will play in 2010 also.
There are a couple ways of looking at it, treat it as a 2-year launch of 10 teams, or expansion by 3 teams of an existing league. If they treat it as a launch spread over two years, then it might make sense to do some kind of reallocation.
But I really think that it should be treated as an expansion. If Philly, Atlanta and Dallas couldn't get it together for the 2009 launch, then they should just have take whoever is available.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cougar Coach on September 22, 2008 at 11:44pm: Jeff Chambers said:
Along with Philly and Atlanta, there is a chance that Dallas will play in 2010 also.
There are a couple ways of looking at it, treat it as a 2-year launch of 10 teams, or expansion by 3 teams of an existing league. If they treat it as a launch spread over two years, then it might make sense to do some kind of reallocation.
But I really think that it should be treated as an expansion. If Philly, Atlanta and Dallas couldn't get it together for the 2009 launch, then they should just have take whoever is available.

I think that idea sucks big time. After all the WNT players and the international players have been spread around the teams starting in '09 what will be left in 2010? Some of the talent from the other teams has to be reassinged. In hockey teams are allowed to protect x number of players and the rest are available to be drafted. I would go farther and say they can only protect 2 of their first 3. The expansion teams need a chance to be competitive or they will fail.

It's a shame my city didn't get it together sooner. We are, fan wise, ready to support a team. I seem to remember reading that the Charge had attendence figures in the top of the WUSA teams. And attendence at the Linc for the recent WNT tour was 3,000+ fans more then NY and Chicago combined.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robyn McNeil on September 23, 2008 at 7:43am: Cougar Coach said:
Jeff Chambers said:
Along with Philly and Atlanta, there is a chance that Dallas will play in 2010 also.
There are a couple ways of looking at it, treat it as a 2-year launch of 10 teams, or expansion by 3 teams of an existing league. If they treat it as a launch spread over two years, then it might make sense to do some kind of reallocation.
But I really think that it should be treated as an expansion. If Philly, Atlanta and Dallas couldn't get it together for the 2009 launch, then they should just have take whoever is available.

I think that idea sucks big time. After all the WNT players and the international players have been spread around the teams starting in '09 what will be left in 2010? Some of the talent from the other teams has to be reassinged. In hockey teams are allowed to protect x number of players and the rest are available to be drafted. I would go farther and say they can only protect 2 of their first 3. The expansion teams need a chance to be competitive or they will fail.

It's a shame my city didn't get it together sooner. We are, fan wise, ready to support a team. I seem to remember reading that the Charge had attendence figures in the top of the WUSA teams. And attendence at the Linc for the recent WNT tour was 3,000+ fans more then NY and Chicago combined.

There will be a lot of talented players from the youth and senior national teams available in 2010, so it's not like there's nobody out there. Names like Cheney and Lang from UCLA, Weissenhofer from Notre Dame, or Heath, Noguiera, Washington, and Harris from UNC, Bosio from Santa Clara, I could go on....Plus you've got the international players who are under contract through 2010, or want to wait and see how the first season goes before coming to the US. I do expect they'll have to have some sort of expansion draft with teams allowed to protect, say, 10 players. And you could see a new team trading an allocation to get an existing player, like Philly trading the rights to, say, Heath, for Mitts.

I'm also from near Philadelphia, and while it would've been nice to see a team in 2009, I can understand them wanting to do it right, and if working with the new MLS team makes the most sense for them, I can wait a year to have a team nearby. Like I mentioned earlier, Sky Blue's playing at Rutgers which isn't THAT far away, and they should be fun to watch next year.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cougar Coach on September 24, 2008 at 3:57am: Robyn McNeil said

There will be a lot of talented players from the youth and senior national teams available in 2010, so it's not like there's nobody out there. Names like Cheney and Lang from UCLA, Weissenhofer from Notre Dame, or Heath, Noguiera, Washington, and Harris from UNC, Bosio from Santa Clara, I could go on....Plus you've got the international players who are under contract through 2010, or want to wait and see how the first season goes before coming to the US. I do expect they'll have to have some sort of expansion draft with teams allowed to protect, say, 10 players. And you could see a new team trading an allocation to get an existing player, like Philly trading the rights to, say, Heath, for Mitts.

I'm also from near Philadelphia, and while it would've been nice to see a team in 2009, I can understand them wanting to do it right, and if working with the new MLS team makes the most sense for them, I can wait a year to have a team nearby. Like I mentioned earlier, Sky Blue's playing at Rutgers which isn't THAT far away, and they should be fun to watch next year.
*****************************

You're right, there will be many skilled players out there. Year after year there are players who probably just miss making the National pool. Maybe right in our area with Penn, Villanova etc. There are 4 teams playing in the USL within an hour of Philly also. But I feel we need a few recognizable names to get them in the seats. Moneys tight and the more casual fan might be hesitant to shell out $20 a ticket for "who? Oh, her". And we need to get those fans in to make it a success.

I also agree that getting it done right is the way to go. Let them get all the pieces in place and wait for chester instead of playing in the huge seating but too small field at the Linc. I'm not liking it but I can wait til we have the new stadium.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by chevy on September 24, 2008 at 4:42am: I don't think that is the best idea. They need some players from the already existing teams. I think it is penalty enough that they don't get the access to the top 5 or 6 players on the established teams and they have to build their squads from 2nd tier group. But to start building from just free agents, rookies and leftover internationals would put the expansion teams at too much of a disadvantage.

Jeff Chambers said:
Along with Philly and Atlanta, there is a chance that Dallas will play in 2010 also.
There are a couple ways of looking at it, treat it as a 2-year launch of 10 teams, or expansion by 3 teams of an existing league. If they treat it as a launch spread over two years, then it might make sense to do some kind of reallocation.
But I really think that it should be treated as an expansion. If Philly, Atlanta and Dallas couldn't get it together for the 2009 launch, then they should just have take whoever is available.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Soccerdad on October 2, 2008 at 7:27am: Actually, you can biuld a team instead of having to build around a player or two, you can bring in players that fit the team dynamic instead of changing the dynamic to fit around players, while I argee that a name regognition is all good and fun, how much star power did the charge actually have compared with other teams... they developed their own stars... back then every time you heard Fairs name it was always followed by ""99 WWC champion"

chevy said:
I don't think that is the best idea. They need some players from the already existing teams. I think it is penalty enough that they don't get the access to the top 5 or 6 players on the established teams and they have to build their squads from 2nd tier group. But to start building from just free agents, rookies and leftover internationals would put the expansion teams at too much of a disadvantage.

Jeff Chambers said:
Along with Philly and Atlanta, there is a chance that Dallas will play in 2010 also.
There are a couple ways of looking at it, treat it as a 2-year launch of 10 teams, or expansion by 3 teams of an existing league. If they treat it as a launch spread over two years, then it might make sense to do some kind of reallocation.
But I really think that it should be treated as an expansion. If Philly, Atlanta and Dallas couldn't get it together for the 2009 launch, then they should just have take whoever is available.; ▶ Reply to This