The Boston Breakers have officially ceased operations.
The National Women's Soccer League announced Sunday that the Breakers would fold and the league would play with just nine teams in 2018. Teams will play a 24-game schedule in 2018 with each club playing three games against every opponent.
The NWSL will conduct a dispersal draft of Boston's players on Tuesday at 1 p.m. Pacific Time.
While the maximum roster size for NWSL teams remains at 20 players, each club will be allowed to pick up to four contracted players (including allocated players) or 2018 College Draft picks from the Breakers via the Dispersal Draft that will not count against the club's roster or salary cap.
Losing the Breakers less than a month before the start of the 2018 preseason is certainly a blow for the young NWSL, which has taken incremental steps forward each year since its inaugural season in 2013.
While two other teams have changed ownership groups and relocated during the NWSL's short history, this is the first time that a club has folded without a new club entering the league as a replacement. The Western New York Flash became the North Carolina Courage ahead of the 2017 season while FC Kansas City became the Utah Royals FC this offseason.
The demise of the Breakers is also particularly disappointing for fans that have followed the history of women's soccer in the United States. The NWSL is the longest-running top-flight women's pro soccer league in the United States. Two previous iterations of women's pro soccer in the U.S. -- the WUSA and WPS -- folded after three seasons due to financial instability. The Breakers had been part of all three leagues.
"The Boston Breakers are one of the longest running and most historic clubs in women's soccer, so we certainly understand that fans of the NWSL and the sport will be disappointed to learn of the club's decision to cease operations," said NWSL Managing Director Amanda Duffy in a prepared statement. "In the best interest for the long-term viability of the NWSL, we will operate with nine clubs in 2018 to ensure a stronger league where all parties involved are aligned and committed to the core mission of continued growth and development as we move into our sixth season."
Duffy indicated less than two weeks ago at the 2018 NWSL College Draft that the Breakers were operating as if it was "business as usual" and the club was allowed to draft players, even though behind the scenes it was clear that the franchise could fold.
Now, Boston's rostered players and draftees will have to quickly find new homes.
All of Boston's contracted players and draftees will be placed into a Dispersal Draft pool. Players will be given the opportunity to opt-out of the draft up until Monday at 9 a.m. Pacific Time.
A weighted draw will be conducted Monday to determine what order NWSL clubs will be able to pick in the draft. Clubs will be able to trade their picks in the draft until 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday. The final draft order will be announced at 11 a.m. Pacific Time Tuesday.
While Breakers contracted players and draftees selected in the draft will not count against the roster and salary cap of the drafting team, players on Boston's Discovery list and retired players whose rights are selected will count against the roster and salary cap for the 2018 season if they go on to sign a contract with the selecting team.
Teams will be given an international roster spor for any contracted player or draftee selected that requires an international roster spot. That spot will stay with the player if she is traded this season.
The NWSL will provide refunds to Breaker fans that have put deposits down for 2018 season tickets.
"We do not doubt the fan support or interest in women's soccer in Boston or New England, and the measure taken by the Breakers organization does not reflect the passion we have seen from our fans," Duffy said. "We sincerely thank you for your years of commitment, and we look forward to one day returning to the city of Boston."
Here is more info on the Dispersal Draft as provided by the NWSL:
2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft Timeline
Monday, Jan. 29
12 p.m. ET - Players window to opt-out of the draft closes
2 p.m. ET - Announcement of draft order and available players
Tuesday, Jan. 30
1 p.m. ET - Trade window closes for draft picks
2 p.m. ET - Announcement of final draft order
4 p.m. ET - 2018 Dispersal Draft
Draft Order
To determine the draft order, the NWSL will hold a random weighted draw using an envelope method and will utilize a snake method for the selection process. The system will be weighted by giving one envelope to each team that qualified for the playoffs and two envelopes to each non-playoff team.
Draft Envelopes
1 - North Carolina Courage
1 - Portland Thorns FC
1 - Orlando Pride
1 - Chicago Red Stars
2 - Seattle Reign FC
2 - Sky Blue FC
2 - Utah Royals FC (via KC)
2 - Houston Dash
2 - Washington Spirit
Draft Rules
Assets available via draft include the following:
# Players under contract with NWSL whose rights are assigned to Boston (including allocated players)
# Players whose rights are controlled by Boston (including retired players)
# Rights to players on Boston's Discovery List
The Dispersal Draft will last until all teams have passed or no players or other assets are available for selection.
# Each team will have two (2) minutes to make its selection.
# No time-outs will be permitted.
# Teams may not make trades during the draft.
# Teams are permitted to "pass" when it is their turn to make a selection. Once a team has passed on a selection, the team forfeits the remainder of its selections in the dispersal draft.
-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg