[WPS] Following the departure of founding commissioner Tonya Antonucci last year, chief executive officer Anne-Marie Eileraas, her replacement as Women’s Professional Soccer's top officer, is stepping down.

Eileraas' arrival coincided with a shuttering of many of the league office positions as more responsibilities were handed over to the league's six clubs and the league office staff downsized in face of heavy financial losses.

When she took over, the league had seven teams. It lost FC Gold Pride and the Chicago Red Stars in the 2010 offseason. The Washington Freedom was sold to Dan Borislow, who moved the club to South Florida. The Western New York Flash, the eventual champion, was added as an expansion team from the W-League.

Eileraas has spent much of the season battling with magicJack's Borislow, but she is credited with keeping the league afloat.

"She was perfect for the time that she's been here,"  T. Fitz Johnson, WPS board chairman and owner of the Atlanta Beat, told ESPNW. "Tonya got us going and did an excellent job. When Anne-Marie stepped in, it was a time when we needed someone with a business mind. With her background in law and small business, she really turned around our front office to a point where we're profitable. She's done a magnificent job. There are so many moving parts to running that office. We hate to see her go."