US women's soccer league cancelled

It should have been a triumphant day for women's soccer in North America – both Canada and the US had secured qualification for London 2012 by virtue of advancing to Sunday's final of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

But less than 24 hours after the US women's national team defeated Canada 4-0 to win the tournament, the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) announced plans to cancel the 2012 season. Two WPS players, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, played a starring role in USA's win, scoring two goals apiece.

Most, if not all, of the vitriol will be hurled in the direction of Dan Borislow, who owned and operated the magicJack franchise in WPS during the 2011 season.

The controversial owner, who made a tidy fortune with his magicJack internet phone system, has been involved in a legal battle with the league's owners since they voted to terminate his franchise at the conclusion of the 2011 season. The WPS announcement specifically stated that the league is "suspending the 2012 season in order to address the legal issues head-on before moving forward with competition".

Borislow clashed early and often with the rest of the league since he bought the Washington Freedom at the end of 2010. After relocating the team to Florida, Borislow seemed at odds when it came to everything from uniforms, player payments and in-stadium advertisements. Last July, the WPS players' union even filed a grievance against Borislow, with accusations of players being bullied.

The current legal battle began on October 25, when WPS terminated Borslow's franchise. It took less than a month for the owner to file a lawsuit seeking reinstatement of the team.

Even in the face of the legal storm, WPS appeared to be staying the course. In December, the league received conditional sanctioning from the US Soccer Federation for the 2012 season, and on January 13, held its annual draft to allocate collegiate stars to the pro ranks. Five teams were scheduled to comprise the league.

Only a week and a half ago, it looked like a crisis had been averted altogether, with a legal compromise reportedly reached that would have seen a magicJack team play exhibition games against other WPS teams. But that was not to be with Monday's news that the 2012 season would be canceled.

Clearly Borislow had made his share of enemies. But he's also won over his share of those involved in the women's game, including Wambach, who played for magicJack in 2011. The forward voiced her support in an interview with ESPN's Julie Foudy a few days ago, after the U.S. clinched a spot in the Olympics (both tournament finalists qualified for London 2012).

"I know that Dan Borislow, he's got some ideas up his sleeve and if you know me, I'm always going to back that guy," Wambach said. "He's an inspiration to me and as much as I can be a part of women's soccer and keeping women's soccer going in this country, I'm going to support it as long as I can."

The U.S. has already seen one women's league come and go, with the former Women's United Soccer Association lasting from 2000-2003. And while this isn't the final nail in the coffin of WPS, it's future is uncertain. The league had already been struggling and had to ask for special dispensation for such a small number of teams in the league this year.

Team ownerships, however, seem determined to fight on, and early reports indicate that some might even still try to play in 2012.

With the US women looking to defend their Olympic gold in London – they were also runners-up in the last World Cup – it's another chance to capture the nation's attention, and perhaps instill hope for WPS in 2013.