ATLANTA -- While 2004 is an Olympic year and the chances of a full-blown WUSA season are, well, none, reported talks have begun to bring the league back in 2005 with MLS leading the revival.
Discussions have surfaced, according to a Sports Business Daily report, that top officials from both the MLS and WUSA are keen to strike up a partnership that could ultimately prove financially viable for both.
According to the report, one of the key players in the talks -- former New England Revolution staffer and Boston Breakers general manager Joe Cummings -- is among members of a committee currently looking at the prospects of a full WUSA schedule in 2005.
In December, former U.S. national team coach and current WUSA commissioner Tony DiCiccio said a resurrection plan was certainly feasible, provided there was enough financial backing.
"We're looking at all our options, pounding the sponsorship pavement," DiCicco said in an interview. "We're pretty optimistic, but time will tell.
"Looking at options for '04, we're really looking to do less, but keep the brand name alive and out there in the public. We can put collected revenues toward an '05 full season that would be back to an '03 level."
Following the suspension of operations in September, league officials received several bids for sponsorship, but the cost of resurrecting the league in full could potentially reach $40 million in order to sustain the eight original clubs.
"We're talking to a lot of communities about these festivals," DiCicco added. "We're talking to both cities that had WUSA teams and to other communities."
Most recently, both Cummings and DiCiccio sat on a panel at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's convention in Charlotte, N.C., whose talks concentrated on bringing back the WUSA.
"We've run into many sponsors that we didn't go out and solicit that called us and said, 'Okay, we get it. What do you need?'" DiCiccio was quoted as saying in Sports Business Daily. "Between 'What do you need' and 'Here's a check,' there's a lot of steps, and that's what we're working on right now."
Meanwhile, Kevin Payne, who recently re-joined D.C. United's front office, said both league entities would benefit from a partnership.
"It's silly to replicate the cost structure, the operating and administrative structure that already exists," he said. "I think that the savings to the Washington Freedom organization could have been in the seven figures."
