Four of the league's eight coaches have yet to be announced, because teams have chosen to wait until the end of the collegiate soccer season and recruit coaches from the NCAA ranks.

Other markets besides Boston have yet to fully resolve their stadium issues. The WUSA has already had to relocate one franchise from Orlando to North Carolina. Such chaos leaves some uncertainty about whether the league will be started on time, but the WUSA staff is working hard to make the league a success.

"They'll be on time," Wheaton said. "They'll get going. They have the ability to meet objectives. They can succeed because they're very popular. They're media darlings right now."

The WUSA's signing of nearly every notable player from the 2000 Olympics and 1999 Women's World Cup has provided a great boost to the league's probability of financial success.

"Women's soccer has come so far, especially in the United States," Corkery said. "The U. S. has gotten so much support from the national team, and I think they'll get continual support. I definitely think the league will do well."

The game of women's soccer has earned great support from the networks as of late. ESPN and ABC both broadcast games of the National Team throughout the summer as it played out its pre-Olympic schedule.

"I'm finding that a lot of people are liking the style of play because the women's game uses more tactics, and it's not entirely athletics," Wheaton said.