At this point the rumors of a new pro women's soccer league are quite strong. Calling them only rumors is a caveat used here because of the odd nature of the launch - no name, only four named cities of eight, claims of five named teams. There is a strong curiosity in the greater Puget Sound about the Sounders Women and their future.

Long story short. They have a future. They have a past. The future though is pretty unknown. Like many things around the Sounders brand, there is a certain care in how they approach the opportunity for a brand new league, developing the W-League into pro or remaining what they are. With the United States women powering NBC Sports Network to its highest ever ratings during the Olympics belief in a US, or USA/Canada, women's league is strong right now. It takes more than belief. It takes a workable business plan. That would be true for any new pro sports league.

Here's the full statement from the Sounders Women

Seattle Sounders Women Official Release

Tukwila, WA – The Seattle Sounders Women are extremely proud of our representatives within the U.S. Women’s National Team and would first like to congratulate Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Sydney Leroux on their Olympic gold medals.

Recently there have been reports of a new professional women’s soccer league, and the awareness of this
development are largely due to the fantastic momentum that Team USA has generated with their gold medal
performance in London.

The Seattle Sounders Women, coming off an incredibly successful 12th season as a franchise in the USL W-League, will absolutely return to the pitch for a 2013 campaign. We are aware of the possibility to move to a different league or evolve with our current league. At this point, the Sounders Women are open to all options and evaluating what is best for women’s soccer in the United States as well as what is best for the Sounders Women and our unparalleled fans.

Whether we are dealing with our own league or outside interests, women's pro soccer deserves a fair shot at
surviving. What survival means is a dogged restraint to costs in such a way that can compel future franchise growth nationwide. Our league and owners must agree on realistic player salaries and franchise fees and conjoin them with knowledgeable soccer people and business infrastructure.

The Sounders Women encourage our fans and all supporters of women’s soccer to be patient in order to ensure
a stable, sustainable, and prosperous model is chosen for the women’s game in the U.S. so previous unsuccessful models are not repeated.