Plans for a U.S. women’s pro league next year were scrapped when backers of the National Soccer Alliance pulled out. Most of the U.S. national team players had hoped to play in the new league. The NSA had plans to play in eight cities, commitments from most of the country’s top players and even a logo, but it lacked one critical element: the endorsement of U.S. Soccer. Opposition within U.S. Soccer ranks successfully stonewalled during the approval process, leaving investors with little alternative but to withdraw plans to finance the league. Many within U.S. Soccer’s leadership do not want a pro league to be launched until after the ’99 Women’s World Cup.