Wendy Louque on the WPSL Heartland Region
WPSL Heartland Region Update: Strong women’s soccer action reigns in the heart of the USA with top teams competing for preeminence.
Related Women’s Soccer News: WPSL NEWS: KC COURAGE’S WENDY LOUQUE – SoccerToday
WPSL News: The Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amazing women’s soccer league with more than 110 teams playing soccer all across America. The largest women’s soccer league in the world, the WPSL is led by Commissioner Jerry Zanelli who is well known as a leading champion of the women’s game.
With our vast country spread out over nearly 4 million square miles, Zanelli manages the WPSL with the guidance of 4 division directors and several regional commissioners.
Wendy Louque is the Regional Commissioner Heartland as well as the owner of the KC Courage team.
There are 5 teams in the WPSL Heartland Region — GSI Pride, Des Moines Menace, Chicago Red Stars Reserves, KC Courage and Minnesota Twin Sisters. Each of these teams provides aspiring female soccer players with the opportunity to enjoy playing soccer at a highly competitive level — and perhaps even enhance their skills as a few dream of becoming professional players.
| Heartland Conference Standing as of July 11, 2017 oo | GP0 | W0 | L0 | T0 | GF0 | GA0 | GD0 | PTS0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSI Pride | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 20 | 18 |
| Des Moines Menace | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 11 |
| Chicago Red Stars Reserves | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| KC Courage | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 23 | -15 | 3 |
| Minnesota TwinStars | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 28 | -18 | 2 |
WPSL Heartland Region Recap:
According to Louque, GSI Pride is the clear favorite to finish at the top of the Heartland region this season, upsetting the Chicago Red Stars Reserves, which have been the dominant team the last four years.
With competition tight in this WPSL Region, it is often very hard to tell details from just looking at the stats so we wanted to delve deeper.
When KC Courage first took on GSI Pride, Louque remembers it as a complete loss. “It was a 6-1 loss when we met for the first time on the field — yet, when we played GSI Pride again a few weeks later, it was a very close game with a 1-0 loss on our part.”
“I think that goes along with the nature of summer ball,” says Louque.
“Unlike the college game where rosters are mostly consistent, summer players can have personal commitments such as family vacations, weddings, and other commitments which can force rosters to vary week to week,” explains Louque.
“A few years ago, I had six different players out with weddings and had to travel to play Chicago Red Stars missing six normal starters,” said Louque. ” I’ve come to learn that the third Saturday in June is a popular time to get married.”
With thousands of players in the WPSL, the game day experience is important and every effort has been made to raise the bar to enhance the fan experience.
“As far as game day experience goes, Des Moines Menace is a leader to be proud of. Their best game day experiences are when their games are combined as double headers with their men’s PDL team,” reports Louque.
Louque also complimented MN Twinstars for their game day program, especially when combined with their men’s games.
Louque’s Kansas City Courage:
While Kansas City has not had a men’s PDL team since 2012 there is finally a new team in town — Santa Fe Toca United — and KC Courage may explore the benefits of working with them in a future season.
“The Santa Fe Toca United are currently scheduled to play immediately following our final home game this Sunday,” says Loque who is excited about the benefits of this double header for soccer fans. “I believe there is a definite advantage to the fan experience when you can play men’s and women’s teams back to back.”
