Category: Women’s Professional Soccer

Hope Solo on the cover of a 2010 St. Louis Athletica Women's Professional Soccer program

St. Louis Athletica

May 10, 2012

St. Louis Athletica was a women’s first division soccer club that folded six games its second season of play in 2010. The team signed several top international stars to contracts including Hope Solo, Lori Chalupny, Eniola Aluko and Shannon Boxx. But the team’s stadium and ownership situations were deeply unstable and the team collapsed in May 2010. To this day, Athletica remains the only American First Division women’s soccer team that has failed to complete a season in progress.

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Los Angeles Sol Women's Professional Soccer

Los Angeles Sol

February 9, 2012

The Los Angeles Sol were the flagship franchise of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) when the league launched in March 2009.  The Sol had the best of everything during the league’s debut season – the best record, the highest ticket revenue, WPS’ wealthiest and most experienced owner/operator in Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), a world class venue in the Home Depot Center, and the sport’s greatest player in three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta of Brazil.  But the Sol’s estimated $3 million loss was among the highest in the league and led to the demise of the club in January 2010 after just one season of play.

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Ilisa Kessler Women's Professional Soccer

The Promoters: Ilisa Kessler

November 6, 2011

Several weeks back, I ran a retrospective on FC Gold Pride, a Women’s Professional Soccer franchise that had a Jekyll & Hyde existence during its brief two-year

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Rachel Buehler on the cover of a 2009 FC Gold Pride program from Women's Professional Soccer

FC Gold Pride

October 10, 2011

Women’s Professional Soccer (2009-2010) Born: September 3, 2008 – WPS founding franchise Folded: November 16, 2010 First Match: April 5, 2009 (W 2-1 vs. Boston Breakers)

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