Women's Premier Soccer League Elite
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox football league
| name = WPSL Elite
| image = WPSL-ELITE.jpeg
| pixels = 150
| country = {{USA}}
| confed = CONCACAF (North America)
| founded = 2012
| folded = 2013
| teams = 8
| relegation = None
| levels = 1
| website = [http://www.wpsl.info Official site]
| current = 2012 WPSL Elite Season
}}
The Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) was a women's semi-professional soccer league created by the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) to support the sport in the United States, both from continued interest by WPSL teams in professionalism and as a response to the suspension (and ultimate demise{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7945174/women-professional-soccer-folds-three-seasons |title=Women's Professional Soccer folds |first=Beau |last=Dure |publisher=espnW.com |date=May 18, 2012 |access-date=May 18, 2012}}) of the WPS.
History
=Inaugural season=
{{Main|2012 Women's Premier Soccer League Elite season}}
For the 2012 season, the league featured former WPS teams, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Western New York Flash, in addition to many WPSL teams primarily located in the northeast and midwest regions of the United States. Six of the eight teams were considered fully professional{{Cite web
|url=http://www.prlog.org/11801875-philadelphia-fever-joins-new-wpsl-elite-league.html
|title=Philadelphia Fever Joins New WPSL Elite League
|date=February 17, 2012
|access-date=February 17, 2012
|publisher=PRLog.org}} though the actual status of several teams has been disputed.[http://chicagoredstars.com/goalkeeper-jamie-forbes-leading-from-the-back/] {{dead link|date=January 2019}} Western WPSL teams were expected to join the Elite League starting in 2013.
{{Cite web
|url=http://www.soccernation.com/new-elite-league-cms-2329
|title=New Elite League
|date=February 9, 2012
|access-date=February 17, 2012
|publisher=SoccerNation.com
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716054448/http://www.soccernation.com/new-elite-league-cms-2329
|archive-date=July 16, 2014
|url-status=dead
}}
|url=http://equalizersoccer.com/2012/02/09/wpsl-elite-league-launches-for-2012-with-flash-breakers-red-stars-fc-indiana/
|title=WPSL Elite League launches for 2012 with Flash, Breakers, Red Stars, FC Indiana
|date=February 9, 2012
|access-date=February 17, 2012
|publisher=EqualizerSoccer.com}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin-left:1em;float:right;font-size:85%;"
|+WPSL Elite Champions !Season!!Champion!!Coach!!Runner-Up | |||
| 2012 | Western New York Flash | {{flagicon|New Zealand}} Aaran Lines | Chicago Red Stars |
==2012 Teams==
| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
! Team ! Home ! Pro-am ! Joined ! Founded ! Previous leagues |
| style="text-align: left;"| ASA Chesapeake Charge
| National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA compliant | 2012 | 2012 |style="text-align: left;"| WPSL |
| style="text-align: left;"| Boston Breakers
| professional | 2012 | 2008 |style="text-align: left;"| WPS |
| style="text-align: left;"| Chicago Red Stars
| disputed | 2012 | 2007 |
| style="text-align: left;"| FC Indiana Lionesses
| professional | 2012 | 2000 |
| style="text-align: left;"| New England Mutiny
| disputed | 2012 | 1999 |style="text-align: left;"| WPSL |
| style="text-align: left;"| New York Fury
| professional | 2012 | 2011 |style="text-align: left;"| WPSL |
| style="text-align: left;"| Philadelphia Fever
| Multiple locales in N.J. & PA. | NCAA compliant | 2012 | 2012 |style="text-align: left;"| none |
| style="text-align: left;"| Western New York Flash
| professional | 2012 | 2008 |style="text-align: left;"| WPS |
=League expansion=
Before the announcement of the formation of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a Western conference of the league was planned to begin competition in 2013. Five teams - the San Diego WFC SeaLions, the Los Angeles Vikings, the California Storm, the Bay Area Breeze, and an unnamed team from Seattle - were reportedly committed to joining. Three other cities - Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston - had also voiced interest in joining WPSLE.
=Hiatus=
The Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars and Western New York Flash joined the NWSL for the 2013 season. Also, the New England Mutiny, New York Fury, and Philadelphia Fever opted to return to the WPSL.
Originally, it was leaked that five teams were slated to join the ASA Chesapeake Charge and FC Indiana in the 2013 of WPSL Elite. Later, the WPSL Elite website revealed six teams - the Charge, FC Indiana, the California Storm, the Houston Aces, Jersey Sky Blues, and the San Diego SeaLions - would take place in the "WPSL Elite League Cup", a series of games played in addition to regular WPSL games; the Houston Aces even had these games on the schedule page of their website. However, organization apparently fell through, and the WPSL-Elite was ultimately disbanded.{{cite web
| title = W-League and WPSL 2013
| publisher = BigSoccer
| url = http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/w-league-and-wpsl-2013.1981145/
| format = forum
| access-date = June 9, 2013}}
Of the six teams, two (Indiana and Jersey) did not rejoin WPSL for the 2013 season. The other four all won their respective divisions and made it to their regions' respective finals (as did the New England Mutiny). There were unfulfilled plans to revive the WPSL Elite for the 2014 season.{{cite web
| last = Lauletta
| first = Dan
| title = The Lowdown: Houston Aces have eyes on NWSL
| publisher = The Equalizer
| date = October 2, 2013
| url = http://equalizersoccer.com/2013/10/02/lowdown-houston-aces-have-eyes-on-nwsl-expansion-2015/
| access-date = October 2, 2013}}
=Possible revival=
Before the 2015 WPSL season, the Real Salt Lake Women advertised that they would be participating in a 12-team WPSL Elite with 10 regular season games per team.{{cite web
| last = Hawkins
| first = Annie
| title = Getting to know RSL Women: Sara Cowley
| publisher = realsaltlakewomen.com
| date = February 2, 2015
| url = http://realsaltlakewomen.com/player-interviews/2015/02/sara-cowley/
| access-date = January 25, 2016}} Like the suggested WPSL Elite season suggested by the Houston Aces in 2013, though, the season did not appear to materialize. However, after the regular WPSL playoffs, a WPSL Elite Final was played between RSL Women and the San Francisco Nighthawks, which was hosted and won by RSL.{{cite web
| last = Walker
| first = Sean
| title = Smith, Phillips lead RSL Women to rout in WPSL Elite title match
| publisher = ksl.com
| date = August 1, 2015
| url = http://www.ksl.com/?sid=35767186&nid=857&title=smith-phillips-lead-rsl-women-to-rout-in-wpsl-elite-title-match
| access-date = January 25, 2016}} No official qualification to the match was ever announced, and the match score was not published on the WPSL site for weeks.{{cite web
| title = WPSL 2015 Playoffs
| publisher = BigSoccer
| url = http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/wpsl-2015-playoffs.2022375/
| format = forum
| access-date = January 25, 2016}} Further talk of officially reviving the WPSL Elite has continued in the wake of the folding of the W-League in the fall of 2015, though signs point to both Zanelli and a majority of WPSL teams against the idea of a tiered WPSL.{{cite web
| title = W-League folds
| publisher = BigSoccer
| url = http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/w-league-folds.2026301/page-2
| format = forum
| access-date = January 25, 2016}} RSL and Houston would join the newly formed United Women's Soccer before the beginning of its inaugural 2016 season,{{cite web
| last = Admin
| title = United Women's Soccer Announces West Conference
| publisher = UWS
| date = February 5, 2016
| url = http://www.uwssoccer.com/news_article/show/608168
| access-date = February 18, 2016}} joining former WPSLE member the Mutiny in the new league. FC Indiana similarly joined UWS the following year.{{cite web
| last = Forrester
| first = Nick
| title = United Women's Soccer announces four-team expansion
| publisher = Excelle Sports
| date = December 12, 2016
| url = http://www.excellesports.com/news/united-womens-soccer-expansion-detroit-fort-wayne-grand-rapids-indiana/
| access-date = December 14, 2016}}
Organization
=Playing structure=
The Elite League featured a standard home-and-away double round robin format, with a separate postseason from the regular WPSL playoffs. The Elite League's playoffs involved four teams in two-leg aggregate series.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{USSoccer}}
{{USDefunctSoccer}}
{{Major women's sport leagues in North America}}
Category:Defunct women's soccer leagues in the United States
Category:Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States
Category:2012 establishments in the United States
Category:2013 disestablishments in the United States