US Soccer launches knockout cup to crown a women's club champion

Oct 14 - US Soccer on Wednesday announced a new knockout tournament with more than $1.5 million in prize money that will, for the first time, crown a single national champion from across the country’s two women’s professional leagues.

The Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup will include teams from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Gainbridge Super League (GSL). Each round will be single-elimination, ending in a final, and the competition will offer a path to qualifying for the Concacaf W Champions Cup.

No start date has been set. U.S. Soccer said it would pick one after talking with key stakeholders.

U.S. Soccer said it expects NWSL stars such as Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Rose Lavelle to take part.

The U.S. women's game has two top-level professional leagues, hundreds of amateur teams and a strong college tradition. Until now, however, there has been no competition bringing together clubs from both professional leagues. U.S. Soccer compared the new cup to England's Women's FA Cup.

The launch comes as women's professional soccer sees rapid growth in participation, viewership and investment. The FIFA Women's World Cup will take place in Brazil next year.

"Women's soccer continues to be one of the most dynamic and inspiring forces in sport," said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.

The tournament is named after Arthur Blank, who is funding it. Blank co-founded Home Depot and owns Major League Soccer's Atlanta United and the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

"Soccer has an extraordinary power to bring people together, and this competition represents an important step forward for the women's game," Blank said.

U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said the cup would be about more than naming a club champion. He said it would also be about "expanding the reach of women's professional soccer into new communities." REUTERS