Women's Professional Soccer 2010 Preseason Kicks Off
Published on March 8, 2010 under Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) News Release
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 8, 2010) - U.S. National Team players and top internationals reported to camp this past weekend as the 2010 WPS Preseason got underway. Preseason will run March 7-April 10, when the league kicks off with a full slate of four games during WPS Kick-Off Week - the first time ever that four WPS games will be played over one weekend.
The 2010 WPS Season will feature several fan enhancements including a longer regular season schedule, a mid-season WPS All-Star Game presented by the U.S. Coast Guard, three new stadiums (Atlanta, Bay Area and Philadelphia) and many stadium upgrades to improve the fan experience. In addition, the 2010 WPS Playoffs will stretch into September, allowing for increased visibility for the league among youth clubs and school teams that return from summer break in late August and early September.
"We're excited about all the changes we have put in place for this season," said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. "In 2010, it's about growing our league and building on the foundation that we laid down this past year. That includes all the fan enhancements and stadium changes, as well as an increasing number of local and national partnerships which are helping us build momentum going into our second year."
Ticket sales are up with five of the six teams returning from the 2009 season tracking above where they were at the same time last year in season-ticket sales. The league has already seen an increase in overall sponsorships from last year, and is projecting that four of eight teams will feature a jersey partnership this season with logos on the front of their uniforms - a two-fold increase on last year.
The 2010 WPS Preseason includes several compelling exhibition games among WPS teams. The roster cut-downs for each of the teams will be announced on March 16 (24 players) and the final team rosters will be announced April 1 (18 players + 4 optional developmental players).
2010 Preseason Rosters Atlanta Beat http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/atlanta/players/index.aspx
Boston Breakers http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/boston/news/general/100305-pre-season-roster.aspx
Chicago Red Stars http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/chicago/team/index.aspx
FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/bayarea/team/index.aspx
Philadelphia Independence http://www.wpsphillyindependence.com/philadelphia-independence-announces-preseason-roster/
Saint Louis Athletica http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/stlouis/news/general/100308-Daniela-Returns.aspx
Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) http://www.womensprosoccer.com/Home/ny/news/press_releases/100308-preseason-schedule.aspx
Washington Freedom http://www.womensprosoccer.com/dc
2010 WPS Preseason Schedule
Tuesday, March 9 Washington Freedom vs. U-23 US Women's National Team (Vero Beach, FL) Closed Scrimmage
Wednesday, March 10 Atlanta Beat vs. Auburn University (Auburn, AL) Scrimmage
Boston Breakers vs. Boston College (Newton, Mass.) Scrimmage
Friday, March 12 Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Freedom (Vero Beach, FL) Exhibition
Saturday, March 13 FC Gold Pride vs. TEPCO Mareeze (Danville, CA) Exhibition
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Illinois (Fenton, MO) Closed Scrimmage
Wednesday, March 17 Boston Breakers vs. U-20 Women's National Team (Gainesville, FL) Exhibition
Chicago Red Stars vs. South Florida (Tampa, FL) Exhibition
Sky Blue FC vs. Florida State (Tallahassee, FL) Scrimmage
Friday, March 19 Atlanta Beat vs. U-20 US Women's National Team (St. Augustine, FL) Scrimmage
Saturday, March 20 Boston Breakers vs. Sky Blue FC (Gainesville, FL) Exhibition
Philadelphia Independence vs. North Carolina (Downingtown, PA) Exhibition
Washington Freedom vs. University of Virginia (Richmond, VA) Scrimmage
Saint Louis Athletica vs. University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
Sunday, March 21 Atlanta Beat vs. University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) Scrimmage
Tuesday, March 23 Atlanta Beat vs. Boston Breakers (St. Augustine, FL) Exhibition
Sky Blue FC vs. University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.) Scrimmage
Wednesday, March 24 Boston Breakers vs. University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.) Scrimmage
Thursday, March 25 Atlanta Beat vs. Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) Scrimmage
FC Gold Pride vs. Univ. of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) Exhibition
Saturday, March 27 Philadelphia Independence vs. Washington Freedom (Boyds, MD) Exhibition
Sky Blue FC vs. Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) Scrimmage
Sunday, March 28 Atlanta Beat vs. North Carolina (Kennesaw, GA) Exhibition
Thursday, April 1 FC Gold Pride vs. Santa Clara Broncos (Santa Clara, CA) Exhibition
Philadelphia Independence vs. Penn State (Downingtown, PA) Exhibition
Saturday, April 3 Atlanta Beat vs. Saint Louis Athletica (Tulsa, OK) Exhibition
Washington Freedom vs. North Carolina (Boyds, MD) Exhibition
Women's Professional Soccer Stories from March 8, 2010
- Chicago Red Stars Preseason Kicks Off - Chicago Stars FC
- Women's Professional Soccer 2010 Preseason Kicks Off - WPS
- Four Red Stars Called Up To U.S. WNT - Chicago Stars FC
- Preseason Camp Underway - Sky Blue FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
