Austin Kelley hopes that the still nameless L.A. team set to compete in Women's Professional Soccer next year will pull out all the stops to sign Brazilian Marta, after winning the somewhat flimsy right to try and negotiate a deal with the player in the league's 'international draft' last week. "Start the bidding war," writes Kelley. "She's worth it."
The international players were not picked by the clubs "completely out of the blue," says Kelley. "A WPS spokesman told us that the clubs did not speak directly with the potential players, but that they were working with a consultant who advised them on player availability." There were no German players in the draft because most of them have signed long-term contracts with their domestic clubs ahead of the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Kelley quotes "unsubstantiated rumors" (and what is a rumor if it's not unsubstantiated?) that Marta wants an annual salary of $400,000, a lot more than the average MLS salary, but surely within the range of Anschutz Entertainment Group, owner of the L.A. franchise. On the other hand, the league is starting up in a time of financial uncertainty, with Australia about to embark on its second attempt at a women's pro league, and England announcing a Super League for summer 2010.
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