USL Super League opens a new chapter in US women's soccer history

This past weekend a new D1 women’s league launched in the United States. After years of planning, the USL Super League played its first set of matches. All three games featured sold-out stadiums thus showing the penetration the Super League has already made in its local markets.

This has happened despite very little media coverage from the written press that focuses on the United States’ other D1 league, NWSL. Nationwide, more high-level playing opportunities and professional development are always a positive. So, the introduction of eight new first-division women’s clubs in the United States should be welcomed by all stakeholders in the game. 

Tampa Bay Sun-Dallas Trinity 

On Sunday evening, I was in Tampa for the Tampa Bay Sun’s opener against Dallas Trinity FC. The level of play was as good as any NWSL match I’ve previously attended. Albeit the flashy superstars of that league were not present for this match. The Sun was missing four international players who have not yet been cleared including English veteran Jade Moore who featured in two Women’s World Cup semifinal matches. 

One of the most impressive aspects of the match was the number of fans who showed up wearing Sun kits, scarves, and T-shirts. Through the years, I’ve been to roughly a dozen debut games for clubs in the United States and I have never seen the amount of people wearing that team’s gear. Normally, you’d expect to see random Premier League or US National Team shirts in the crowd.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, featuring a vocal crowd, and some high-level finishing. Dallas has assembled an experienced squad and will face European champion FC Barcelona Femení on August 30 at the Cotton Bowl in its first home match. 

Carolina Ascent breaks women’s attendance record in North Carolina

On Saturday, the Carolina Ascent played its first match at home in Charlotte against DC Power. The home side won 1-0 but the real story was the crowd. The Ascent is playing in the same home state as one of NWSL’s most successful clubs, the North Carolina Courage. Yet the Ascent set a record for a professional women’s club match for the state of North Carolina with an attendance of nearly 10,500. 

As a soccer market, Charlotte has matured greatly in recent years as evidenced by both MLS’ success there as well as the crowds for international games in the Queen City. Women’s professional soccer appears to be breaking through there as well.

Spokane sells out the opening match against Fort Lauderdale

Spokane Zephyr FC hosted Fort Lauderdale United, and the home side registered an impressive sellout. The match was a high-level affair with Fort Lauderdale looking especially good in the second half. After training for six weeks, the South Florida club managed by former Burnley defender Tyrone Mears looked fluid in possession. The 1-1 result felt fair and the standard of play was at a higher level than anticipated considering neither side had on their roster players we’d consider identifiable stars. 

Fort Lauderdale United has sold, per my sources, a good number of season tickets and sponsorship deals ahead of its inaugural campaign, perhaps proving a market that has been tricky for men’s pro soccer is embracing the women’s game. 

League leadership sets an example

USL’s built-out league system on the men’s side as well as the existing infrastructure for the amateur women’s W League has helped with the launch. The synergies created by having sponsorship dollars locked down and relationships with broadcasters have helped the Super League get moving. The media deal the league has where every game is streamed on Peacock compliments USL’s relationship with NBC Sports Engine on the digital side as well as with its amateur leagues streaming component. 

USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort (pictured below) has professionally built out a league staff that’s filled with experience and was able to execute the first weekend without a hitch. 

Social Media isn’t real life in local markets

The Twitterverse has a skewed view of what does and does not matter in this sport. As someone who has worked in the sport, for years I went from viewing social media conversations as critical to learning they were largely irrelevant. Oftentimes, perceptions on Twitter are not reality. 

It’s been pointed out to me by nearly a dozen people that there was very little social media buzz this weekend about the start of USL Super League. But the proof is in the pudding. Local markets are not only embracing the league based on crowd turnout, but my understanding is that the league is exceeding expectations on the sponsorship side for most of the eight clubs.

People seeking local entertainment options in Tampa, Charlotte, Spokane, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, and other Super League markets aren’t glued to the soccer Twitterverse. Whether the USL Super League is trending on Twitter, it makes no difference to people buying tickets locally. The financial sustainability of the clubs in the USL Super League is not going to be determined by whether or not the league is trending on X.

Deepening the player pool

The real winner in week one of the USL Super League is the American female soccer player whose professional opportunities were limited by NWSL and whose opportunity to advance through an academy program into a pro team never existed before the formation of this league. In week one, we saw countless players who showed their skills that before this year would have had to pursue careers abroad or in a different profession.

Before the formation of the USL Super League about 98% of college players didn’t have domestic professional playing opportunities once their college careers ended. This league with its initial eight teams, eventual build-out, and promise of linking the USL league system will create the sort of pyramid that has never existed before in women’s soccer in the US. 

While the United States has had lots of international success, there have been historic drop-offs beyond national team players to other professional women – in terms of salary, exposure, and playing opportunities. This league will help to change that and push NWSL to better itself at scouting, building vertically integrated clubs, and hopefully about where and when it expands. 

USL Super League’s opening weekend was a big hit, and the new women’s first division is off to a running start. 

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire