No one at the Washington Freedom is quite ready to believe the Women’s Pro Soccer league will actually exist until the players are lined up in uniform on the field hearing the national anthem before next April’s first match.
That said, the 2009 launch of WPS is in the back of everyone’s mind as the 2008 W-League season gets under way. The Freedom won last weekend’s season opener at Long Island, 3-1.
“It is hard not to look ahead because you’re excited about the league,” said midfielder Lori Lindsey. “But this is an important year because it’s kind of like the bridging year for us to really, not only as players, but getting fans excited, get the word out there.”
Lindsey has played for the Freedom since the WUSA’s final season in 2003, when they claimed the Founders’ Cup title. Although the league went under, head coach Jim Gabarra continued to work, anticipating its eventual return. He’s well ahead of the scouting curve for 2009, evidenced by the Freedom’s core of former WUSA players, along with a 12-1-1 record and W-League championship last year.
But with the allocation and draft process for WPS yet to be determined, there’s no guarantee Gabarra’s five years of effort will translate into a stockpiled roster.
“It’s certainly an advantage but not an unfair advantage,” said Gabarra. “Every other team had the same opportunity, and we’ve been working hard for five years. I think we should be able to benefit from that hard work.”
His current team includes former WUSA standout Christie Welsh (nine goals, eight assists in 2007) and local products such as UCLA recruit Jordan Grant (Centreville High) and Florida State signee Tiffany McCarty (St. John’s).
Washington also expects to benefit from the planned expansion of the Maryland SoccerPlex, which will double the stadium’s capacity to 6,500 seats.
“It’s great to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Gabarra, “All the work that we’ve done and the vision that we have for the team and the club to finally start to pay off, or at least the opportunity for it to pay off.”
