I think there's a recognition that high-caliber professional athletes need certain minimum standards [for] the environment that they're operating in. And with time and other iterations, it has just become crystal clear that doing these teams independently, it's a lot harder to put those athletes in an environment where there are minimum standards that aren't at the level that they should be up to.

That's not just the facility where they play the games - that's a big part of it - it's also the staffing that's around them. Trainers, massage therapists, the medical group that's helping them, the quality of the coaching staff. All that kind of stuff.

I think that at the end of the day, soccer has won... The Thorns, they aren't a second-class citizen. They're able to benefit from our infrastructure.

I think that people have seen both sides and understand the benefits of the one side as opposed to the other. The technical aspects of soccer have won out over that argument, as they should.

As opposed to a philosophical argument which pre-supposes a secondary standing relative to the men, and not wanting to be in the shadow of the men. I think that was what was driving the other thing [in the WUSA era].

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