Taking another step closer towards the return of women’s soccer to the professional sports landscape, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) today announced its regular season schedule for the 2009 Inaugural Season, along with the featured match-ups for Fox Soccer Channel’s “WPS Sunday on FSC.” The previously announced home openers that begin Sunday, March 29 with the WPS Inaugural Match between the Los Angeles Sol and the Washington Freedom and continue during WPS Kick-Off Week with a full slate of league games on April 5 will be followed by regular weekly action over the next five months for a total of 70 league match-ups, three post-season contests and one WPS All-Star Game.

Teams will play a 20-game regular season schedule with 10 home games and 10 away games. Each team will play the other teams in the league three times with a fourth game against two regional rivals to round out the 20-game schedule. Games will be played primarily on weekends with 14 games scheduled for weeknights, primarily on Wednesdays. Weeknight games will not begin until midway through the season on June 3.

Every week, Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast “WPS Sunday on FSC” nationally to over 34 million homes with appointment television. The season culminates with the WPS Playoffs including the First Round, Super Semifinal and WPS Final. The WPS Final on August 22 will reach up to 80 million homes nationally on Fox Sports Net’s owned and affiliated regional sports networks.

“The 2009 WPS Inaugural Season will feature world class soccer action from coast-to-coast with regular television coverage and an emphasis on weekend games and occasional Wednesday night action,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “We hope all fans will come out to catch the world’s best players during the WPS season and follow along on Fox Soccer Channel each week.”

The WPS Regular Season culminates the weekend of August 8/9 with three league games. The WPS First Round will be played August 15, the WPS Super Semifinal is set for August 18/19 with the WPS Final scheduled for August 22 at the home field of the 2009 WPS Regular Season Champion. The All-Star Game will be played following the conclusion of the season.

2009 WPS Inaugural Season Schedule

Click here for the online schedule.

Subject to change // home team listed first // all kick-off times listed in EST// Fox Soccer Channel (FSC) and Fox Sports Net (FSN)

Week 1
Sunday, March 29 – WPS Inaugural Match
Los Angeles Sol vs. Washington Freedom        6:00pm (FSC) – pregame show at 5:30pm   

Week 2
Saturday, April 4 – WPS Kick-Off Week
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Chicago Red Stars       

Sunday, April 5 – WPS Kick-Off Week
FC Gold Pride vs. Boston Breakers            6:00pm (FSC)
Sky Blue FC vs. Los Angeles Sol

Week 3
Saturday, April 11 (Easter Weekend)
Boston Breakers vs. Saint Louis Athletica
Sky Blue FC vs. FC Gold Pride
Washington Freedom vs. Chicago Red Stars        6:00pm (FSC)

Week 4
Saturday, April 18
Washington Freedom vs. Boston Breakers

Sunday, April 19
Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue FC            6:00pm     (FSC)
Los Angeles Sol vs. FC Gold Pride

Week 5
Saturday, April 25
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Los Angeles Sol
Chicago Red Stars vs. Boston Breakers

Sunday, April 26
FC Gold Pride vs. Washington Freedom            6:00pm (FSC)

Week 6
Saturday, May 2
Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol

Sunday, May 3
FC Gold Pride vs. Sky Blue FC
Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica        6:00pm (FSC)

Week 7
Saturday, May 9
Saint Louis Athletica vs. FC Gold Pride

Sunday, May 10
Los Angeles Sol vs. Boston Breakers           
Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue FC            6:00pm (FSC)

Week 8
Friday, May 15
Los Angeles Sol vs. Sky Blue FC

Saturday, May 16
Chicago Red Stars vs. FC Gold Pride

Sunday, May 17
Boston Breakers vs. Washington Freedom        6:00pm (FSC)

Week 9
Saturday, May 23
Chicago Red Stars vs. Saint Louis Athletica
Washington Freedom vs. Sky Blue FC

Sunday, May 24
FC Gold Pride vs. Los Angeles Sol             7:00pm (FSC)

Week 10
Saturday, May 30
Los Angeles Sol vs. Saint Louis Athletica

Sunday, May 31
Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers            6:00pm (FSC)
Washington Freedom vs. FC Gold Pride

Week 11
Wednesday, June 3
Los Angeles Sol vs. Chicago Red Stars

Saturday, June 6
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC

Sunday, June 7
FC Gold Pride vs. Chicago Red Stars
Los Angeles Sol vs. Washington Freedom        6:00pm (FSC)

Week 12
Saturday, June 13
Sky Blue FC vs. Los Angeles Sol

Sunday, June 14
Boston Breakers vs. Saint Louis Athletica        6:00pm    (FSC)
Washington Freedom vs. Chicago Red Stars

Week 13
Wednesday, June 17
Boston Breakers vs. FC Gold Pride
Sky Blue FC vs. Chicago Red Stars

Saturday, June 20
Chicago Red Stars vs. Boston Breakers
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Washington Freedom

Sunday, June 21
Los Angeles Sol vs. FC Gold Pride            6:00pm    (FSC)

Week 14
Wednesday, June 24
Boston Breakers vs. Washington Freedom
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Los Angeles Sol

Saturday, June 27
Los Angeles Sol vs. Chicago Red Stars

Sunday, June 28
Sky Blue FC vs. Saint Louis Athletica            6:00pm (FSC)

Week 15
Wednesday, July 1
Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Freedom

Saturday, July 4
Sky Blue FC vs. Boston Breakers

Sunday, July 5
FC Gold Pride vs. Saint Louis Athletica
Washington Freedom vs. Los Angeles Sol        6:00pm    (FSC)   

Week 16
Wednesday, July 8
Los Angeles Sol vs. Saint Louis Athletica

Sunday, July 12
Boston Breakers vs. Sky Blue FC            tbd (FSC)   
Chicago Red Stars vs. FC Gold Pride

Week 17
Wednesday, July 15
Boston Breakers vs. Chicago Red Stars
Sky Blue FC vs. Washington Freedom

Saturday, July 18
Washington Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica

Sunday, July 19
FC Gold Pride vs. Boston Breakers
Sky Blue FC vs. Chicago Red Stars            tbd (FSC)   

Week 18
Wednesday, July 22
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Sky Blue FC

Thursday, July 23
FC Gold Pride vs. Los Angeles Sol

Saturday, July 25
Boston Breakers vs. Sky Blue FC

Sunday, July 26
Saint Louis Athletica vs. FC Gold Pride            tbd (FSC)   
Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Freedom

Week 19
Wednesday, July 29
Washington Freedom vs. Boston Breakers

Saturday, August 1
FC Gold Pride vs. Washington Freedom
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Boston Breakers

Sunday, August 2
Chicago Red Stars vs. Los Angeles Sol            6:00pm (FSC)   

Week 20
Wednesday, August 5
Saint Louis Athletica vs. Chicago Red Stars
Sky Blue FC vs. FC Gold Pride

Saturday, August 8
Washington Freedom vs. Sky Blue FC

Sunday, August 9
FC Gold Pride vs. Saint Louis Athletica            6:00pm (FSC)   
Boston Breakers vs. Los Angeles Sol
** End of WPS Regular Season **

WPS Playoffs
Saturday, August 15
First Round
No. 3 vs. No 4                        tbd (FSN)

August 18/19
Super Semifinal
No. 2 vs. Winner of First Round                tbd (FSC)

Saturday, August 22
WPS Final
No. 1 vs. Winner of Super Semifinal            tbd (FSN)