There is talk about West Coast expansion next season — earlier teams in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area folded — but the maelstrom in South Florida illustrates a broader uncertainty about W.P.S.’s future.

In Philadelphia, which is vying for the league’s best record, Halstead, the owner, said he could profitably operate the Independence for $1 million to $1.2 million at some point, but not yet. He said he lost $2 million in 2010, would lose $1 million this season and probably finish $500,000 in the red next season, if there is one.

Included in the belt-tightening this season in Philadelphia was a reduction of the average player salary to $28,000 from about $32,000, along with cutbacks in housing and cars provided to players, Halstead said. Even health and dental insurance plans will be reconsidered, he said, as W.P.S. seeks to balance high-level performance with fiscal responsibility.

“When W.U.S.A. was around, there was an expectation that it was going to be O.K. to lose money and owners would be willing to stick around because of the love for women’s soccer,” Halstead said. “W.P.S. is different in that we don’t believe that. I’m not in this to lose money. I’m in this to make money.”

The question becomes: at what financial level will the owners, players, sponsors and fans feel it is worthwhile to continue?

The league’s players have unionized, but no collective bargaining agreement exists and salaries vary widely. Top American players can earn about $65,000 to $70,000, supplemented by another $50,000 to $60,000 in salary from the national team.

Marta, the Brazilian star who plays for Western New York and has five times been named world player of the year, is an outlier who makes $500,000, a league official said.