The introduction of the Western New York franchise is perhaps the best news the league could have asked for in the offseason. WPS expansion means more storylines, more prospective fans, more new faces and more $ for the league (Western New York team owner Joe Sahlen reportedly paid a seven figure expansion fee). There was supposed to a press conference tomorrow that would mark the unveiling of the team but it has been postponed to a later date, as the team and league are still ironing out legal details.

In the meantime, here are a few on-the-field questions for the new WPS team.

Will the team attract Canadian players? And/or fans?

As WPS waits (or hopes?) for the day the Vancouver Whitecaps join the league, the Western New York team could be a proxy of sorts. Canadian guru Lissa pointed out the fact that both Diana Matheson and Kara Lang spent time with Oakville Soccer Club. The club has become “one of the largest soccer organizations in North America”. It’s also 30 minutes south/west of Toronto which makes it about an hour away from Niagara University and two and a half hours away from Rochester. Matheson had a terrific game against China in Canada’s most recent friendly and may or may not have signed a multi-year deal with Norwegian club LSK. Kara Lang’s career has been hampered by injury but she had a fine turn with the Vancouver Whitecaps this summer. And then there’s Kelly Parker. Parker doubled as the W-League’s MVP in 2010 and the league’s top goal scorer. Additionally, she helped defeat Lang’s Whitecaps in the 2010 W-League Championship. The 29 year-old signed returned to Sky Blue FC late in the WPS season but only appeared for a total of 10 minutes. Could a return to her old club be in the cards?

As for the fans, Canadians will have to make quite the trek to see the team. The drive from Toronto to Buffalo would take about two hours. Add the time it takes to cross the border with the bridges and such and that’s a total of two and a half hours. (Would it be worth it to take a ferry instead? Are there such things?) The driving time from Montreal to Buffalo is an untenable 10 hours. Quebec and Ottawa aren’t much more manageable. Rochester is about an hour and a half away from Buffalo. If the team expects to attract any Canadian fans, perhaps discounted tickets would be a nice gesture.

Will the team adopt Sky Blue FC as its rivals?

This probably won’t be discernable this season but both clubs will be the team’s geographical neighbors. You wouldn’t know by the name but Sky Blue FC does have some association with the state of New York. Or at least it did (the team was known as WPS’ ‘NJ/NY’ franchise). WPS doesn’t really have a true regional rivalry yet so a quasi-interstate rivalry would be fun.

Should the team nab Karina LeBlanc?

This is just a hunch. After the 2010 WPS Championship game, Paul Riley confirmed that Val Henderson was Philadelphia’s #1 goalkeeper. As the old adage goes, you can’t keep two #1 goalkeepers happy. LeBlanc’s former back-up started every one of Philly’s playoff matches. So where does that leave Canada’s first choice goalie? LeBlanc had definitely regressed from the dominant form she enjoyed while in Los Angeles in 2009. She’s probably too good to be a permanent back-up and every established WPS team seems set with their first choice goalkeeper. It might make sense for the franchise to start building from the back. A possible move for LeBlanc, however, would mean a third different club for LeBlanc in three years. The Buffalo Flash enlisted the help of 25 year-old Mexican National Team goalkeeper Pamela Tajonar. She helped guide the club to an undefeated season so perhaps the team won’t be so hasty in picking up a brand new goalkeeper.

Will they become 2011’s Philadelphia Independence?

Lightning will have to be bottled up twice for this to happen but the new WPS franchise could learn from Paul Riley’s side. Riley was coming off a WPSL Championship winning season with the Long Island Fury when he took the reins in Philadelphia. The Independence eschewed the 2010 WPS Draft (not a single player drafted made it on to the final roster this season) and lucked out with trades (Allison Falk and the trade for Rodriguez). They were the beneficiaries of the Los Angeles’ Sol bad luck as they nabbed new draftee Estelle Johnson from the Sol. The team made the most bank in the expansion draft, picking up the likes of Lori Lindsey, Jen Buczkowski, Nikki Krzysik, Sarah Senty and Sara Larsson; all players who would be around until the last day of the regular season. The Independence made good on Breakers castoffs (in a sense) Amy Rodriguez and Heather Mitts. A-Rod came as a result of a trade for Philly’s second pick in the draft. Lastly, the team signed internationals Caroline Seger, Lianne Sanderson and Frida Magnusdottir. It would prove to be very wise pick-ups.

Or 2011’s Atlanta Beat?

The Atlanta Beat, on the other hand, didn’t do so well. They put all their eggs in Tobin Heath’s basket (silly visual there) and it all went to hell. The #1 overall draft pick did her ankle in after just three games. The team didn’t fare so well in the Expansion Draft, selecting Leigh Ann Robinson, Amanda Cinalli, Katie Larkin, Sharona Nonen, Sara Larsson (who was later acquired by the Independence) and Noelle Keselica. Of those six players, Robinson is the only one to have remained a Beat player at the end of the 2010 season. The team also traded away its additional first round pick to FC Gold Pride who used it to pick up Ali Riley. Ramona Bachmann and Johanna Rasmussen were introduced to WPS from Umea IK. Monica Ocampo was WPS’ first Mexican player but faded away by the time the Athletica players came to town. And then there was German Shelley Thompson. That didn’t end well. The Beat also traded away its first pick in the Dispersal Draft to the Saint Louis Athletica for Angie Kerr and Kia McNeill. It was a decent piece of business, but wasn’t nearly enough. The Beat depended on Heath to lead a very youthful squad. But as it turned out, the squad simply lacked depth. The team was never able to get out of the cavern they dug for themselves from the outset, even after quality players from the Athletica (Solo, Aluko, Chalupny, Ellertson) showed up.

So what are the lessons to be learned here? Don’t invest too heavily in your top draft pick. Heck, go Philadelphia’s route and ignore the WPS Draft entirely. Use the expansion draft to start building an experienced squad. Be on the lookout for quality players cut loose from their teams because of internal issues. Lastly, invest in international players well. There might not be many quality European players on the market this offseason due to the World Cup, but there are a ton of players up in the country an hour or two north.

More questions to come this week. It would be particularly great to hear from Buffalo/Rochester fans.

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