<P> Up until 2012, the WPSL and W - League were the two semi-pro leagues in the United States and had sat under WUSA and the WPS . Upon the disbandment of the WPS, they once again regained their status as the premier women's soccer leagues in the United States . In response to the suspension, and eventual end, of the WPS, the Women's Premier Soccer League created the Women's Premier Soccer League Elite (WPSL Elite) to support the sport in the United States . For the 2012 season, the league featured former WPS teams, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Western New York Flash, in addition to many WPSL teams . Six of the eight teams were considered fully professional . Many members of the USWNT remained unattached for the 2012 season while others chose to play in the W - League instead of the WPSL Elite . </P> <P> After the WPS folded in 2012, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced a roundtable for discussion of the future of women's professional soccer in the United States . The meeting resulted in the planning of a new league set to launch in 2013 with 12 - 16 teams, taking from the WPS, the W - League, and the WPSL . In November 2012, it was announced that there would be eight teams in a new women's professional soccer league . The league would be funded by the USSF, the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF). USSF would fund up to 24 players, the CSA up to 16, and the FMF a minimum of 12 . Former WPS teams Western New York Flash, Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Sky Blue FC were joined by four other teams, for a total of eight teams for the inaugural season in 2012 . Each club is allowed a minimum of 18 players on their roster, with a maximum of 20 players allowed at any time during the season . Each team's roster includes up the three allocated USWNT players, two Mexico women's national team players, and two CANWNT players via the NWSL Player Allocation . Each team also has, as of 2015, four spots for international players . The remaining roster spots must be filled by domestic players from the United States . </P> <P> In 2013, the Houston Dynamo of MLS stated interest in starting a women's team . By December 2013, the NWSL approved the new team, the Houston Dash, run by the Dynamo organization, for expansion in 2014 . After the media boom of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, MLS side Orlando City SC showed interest in starting a women's team for the 2016 season . On October 20, 2015, it was announced Orlando City would launch its new NWSL team, the Orlando Pride, in the 2016 season . </P> <P> The NWSL in the first professional women's league to reach nine teams with the addition of the Houston Dash and is the first to last past its third season . </P>

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