WPS Finalizes 2010 Season with 24-Game Regular Season Schedule

Women’s Professional Soccer has finalized the dates of its 2010 WPS Season schedule by expanding from a 20-game regular season schedule, which was used in 2009.  They have incorporated a 24-game schedule in which each of the eight WPS teams will feature 12 home games, and they will play the other seven teams in the league three or four times each.

Opening weekend will include a full slate of four games on Apr. 10-11—the first time four WPS games will be played on one weekend—with the regular season running through Sunday, Sep. 12. Games will be played mostly on Saturday evenings and Sundays, with a limited schedule of midweek games to be played during the summer months.

WPS will take a break on the weekend of May 22 for national team commitments and 2011 Women’s World Cup qualifying games.

The WPS Playoffs will follow the same format used during the WPS Inaugural Season with the No. 3 seed hosting the No. 4 on Sunday, Sep. 19 at 2pm ET/11am PT in the WPS First Round.  The No. 2 seed will host the winner of the WPS First Round on Sep. 22/23 in the WPS Super Semifinal.

The winner of the regular season will play host to the winner of the Super Semifinal as the No. 1 seed in the 2010 WPS Championship on Sep. 26 at 2pm ET/11am PT. Seedings will be based on the final 2010 WPS Regular Season standings in a single eight-team table.

The 2010 WPS All-Star Game presented by the U.S. Coast Guard has been moved to midseason to fall in line with other professional leagues and is scheduled for Jun. 30, 2010. The location and format will be announced at a later date.

The full 2010 WPS Season Schedule and Fox Soccer Channel’s WPS Sunday on FSC national broadcast schedule will be released in mid-February.

2010 WPS Regular Season—Key Dates

Try-outs Begin: Mar. 1
Preseason Camp Officially Opens (Preseason Rosters/Schedule Announced): Mar. 7
Roster Cut-Down Date (rosters reduced from 28 to 24 players): Mar. 15
Opening Roster Due Date (18 roster + 4 optional development players):  Mar. 31    
Regular Season Begins: Apr. 10/11
Bye Weekend (no WPS games): May 22
2010 WPS All-Star Game presented by U.S. Coast Guard: Jun. 30
Regular Season Ends: September 12


WPS Playoffs

WPS First Round: Sunday, Sep. 19 (2pm ET/11am PT)
WPS Super Semifinal: Wed/Thu, Sep. 22/23
2010 WPS Championship: Sunday, Sep. 26 (2pm ET/11am PT)


About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)

Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with eight teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions.

In 2010, eight teams will each play 24-game schedules from Apr. 10-Sep. 12, including six original WPS teams (Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom) and two expansion teams (Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence).

The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs, scheduled for Sep. 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer .

The previous story is a press release from the WPS and is reprinted as part of an agreement between Bleacher Report and the WPS. What's News is the alternate profile of Bleacher Report Feature columnist, Todd Civin, and is used strictly to post press releases of the WPS, the AHL, and the NY-Penn League.