- Gill, Pant fight back for India in third Test against NZ
- UN nature summit agrees on body for Indigenous representation
- Bagnaia clinches pole for Malaysian MotoGP ahead of Martin
- Tatum propels Celtics over Hornets, Lakers hold off Raptors
- Talks on halting nature loss enter extra time in Colombia
- War decimates harvest in famine-threatened Sudan
- Trump says vaccine skeptic RFK Jr will have 'big role' in health care if he wins
- US-Israeli settlers hope to see a second Trump term
- 'Nobody cares about us': US election doubts in West Bank
- O'Brien bags two Breeders' Cup wins to match Lukas record for a trainer
- Man Utd said 'it was now or never', new manager Amorim says
- Black man convicted by all-white jury executed in South Carolina
- Trump, Harris clash over rhetoric as they battle for swing state votes
- Judge tosses New York plastic pollution lawsuit against PepsiCo
- Nuts! NY authorities euthanize Instagram squirrel star
- MLB star pitcher Snell opts out of Giants contract
- With stones and slings, supporters of Bolivia's Morales gird for battle
- Nvidia to join Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Intel
- Sacked Ten Hag wishes 'trophies and glory' for Man Utd
- Wasteful Leverkusen held by Stuttgart as Liverpool loom
- Wasteful Leverkusen held by Stuttgart
- Trump says RFK Jr will have 'big role' in health care if he wins
- US stocks rebound on Amazon results ahead of Fed, election finale
- Gauff backs WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia despite 'reservations'
- Spain flood deaths top 200, hopes fade for missing
- Famed Indian designer Rohit Bal dies: fashion group
- Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole but wary of team orders for Norris
- Trump, Harris clash over rhetoric as they battle for swing state Wisconsin
- Fake US election video signals sprawling Russian disinformation ops
- Spencer to end long wait for first England start against New Zealand
- Russian skater Valieva vows to compete again after doping ban
- Erdogan sues opposition chief, Istanbul mayor for slander
- Piastri takes Brazil sprint pole ahead of Norris
- Morales supporters storm Bolivia military barracks, take hostages
- Dodgers celebrate World Series win with long-awaited parade
- Tuipulotu says 'heart and soul' behind rise to Scotland rugby captaincy
- Amber alert as US figure skater leads French Grand Prix
- Black man convicted by all-white jury to be executed in South Carolina
- Last-ditch effort to solve funding deadlock at nature-saving summit
- Zverev downs Tsitsipas in Paris as Rune keeps ATP Finals bid alive
- France international Jegou resumes rugby after rape allegations
- Former Man Utd star Yorke named coach of Trinidad and Tobago
- Botswana's new president sworn in after historic election upset
- Death toll rises to 12 in Serbia train station roof collapse: minister
- US announces $425 mn in new Ukraine security aid
- Portraits of slain leaders watch out on Hezbollah's battered Beirut bastion
- Biden bites baby: a last week of US election oddities
- Wall Street bounces while oil prices climb on Middle East worries
- Emery says Villa are underdogs against Spurs
- Verstappen hit with five-place grid penalty at Brazilian Grand Prix
New women's top tier league given green light by US Soccer
The United States will have two different top tier women's leagues after the new USL Super League was given 'Division One' sanctioning by the US Soccer Federation on Friday.
The National Women's Soccer League has been operating since 2013 and its clubs have featured most of the USA women's team players as well as foreign imports.
The new league will operate independently from the NWSL and is part of the United Soccer Leagues structure which includes second and third division men's leagues.
While promotion and relegation does not exist in American soccer, US Soccer applies sanctioning for leagues based on their compliance with a series of standards.
"This is a tremendous moment for the USL Super League and for women's sports," said USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort.
"Receiving Division One sanctioning further showcases the work that our ownership groups, our clubs, and the league are doing to create a professional environment for top-level talent to compete."
"This is a crucial step toward realizing our vision to be a global leader in women's soccer on and off the field. We cannot wait to see our clubs take the field when we kick off in August 2024," added Vandervort.
The USL Super League's inaugural season will kick off in August with eight clubs including a newly announced team in Brooklyn, New York.
The league said that eight more clubs are building to join in future seasons when stadium development and other projects are completed.
Unlike the NWSL and the top tier men's Major League Soccer, which play on a spring to autumn calender, the USL Super League will play autumn to spring in line with European leagues.
USL also operates a number of lower divisions for women's football.
US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone welcomed the new arrival.
"The USL Super League is looking to grow the women's game and to expand the opportunities for women to compete at the highest professional level," she said.
"As with all our professional leagues, we look forward to collaborating with the USL Super League and extend our best wishes to the clubs as they gear up for the upcoming season this August."
D.Cunningha--AMWN