| dbo:abstract | - The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA, 2001–2003) and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS, 2009–2011). As of January 2021, the NWSL consists of twelve teams with twelve separate ownership groups. Previously, former commissioner Jeff Plush expressed plans to expand to 14 by the year 2020 in the wake of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, but four years later then-president Amanda Duffy alluded that the league would rather take its time and focus on adding more quality teams: “We’re really concentrating on the quality of the ownership, the quality of the market, the quality of existing facilities – both the match venue, training facilities — staff, infrastructure and the support in that market for soccer and women’s soccer, in particular. So, the past year, we’ve been really trying to refine that process and refine what it is that we’re looking for and what is the pace that we want to grow as a league? Because we’re a strong league. We were strong at 10, we’re strong at nine. “If we all of sudden next year end up at 16 teams, how does that impact the quality of our competition and is that a pace that is sustainable and that we can still continue to operate with on a broader scale? Our efforts are very focused and specific to certain areas that we want to be strong for any team that’s does come into the league that’s going to help propel us at the top and help to elevate the league." In December 2019, the league announced that it would remain at nine teams for the 2020 season, and added that it was in discussion with several potential ownership groups for more new franchises as early as the 2021 season. Many interested ownership groups are associated with existing men's soccer teams, often from Major League Soccer. Six current NWSL ownership groups also run men's teams: original franchises Portland Thorns FC (Portland Timbers) and OL Reign (currently French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais; before being sold to , Reign FC's ownership group included the principal owner of Seattle Sounders FC, though the Reign were independently owned at founding), relocated original franchise North Carolina Courage (North Carolina FC), the first two outright expansion teams, namely the Houston Dash (Houston Dynamo) and Orlando Pride (Orlando City SC), and Racing Louisville (Louisville City FC). Another original franchise, FC Kansas City, was initially owned by the same group running the Missouri Comets, but was sold to new ownership in January 2017 before folding in November of that year; it was replaced by the Utah Royals, another team with MLS ownership (Real Salt Lake) before controversy moved the team back to Kansas City with independent ownership. (en)
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| rdfs:comment | - The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA, 2001–2003) and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS, 2009–2011). (en)
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