Those looking for hopeful news about women's professional soccer in the US may have been heartened by the announcement on Thursday that Western New York Flash and Boston Breakers had officially committed to participate in the Women's Premier Soccer League's new Elite Division. As PSP wrote last Wednesday, WPSL president Jerry Zanelli had extended an offer to WPS teams to join the new league for the 2012 season so that players could maintain fitness and form while WPS worked on the business of re-launching the league in 2013.

Before last week's announcement of the cancellation of the 2012 WPS season, it was widely reported that the league and magicJack owner Dan Borislow had reached an agreement to settle their ongoing legal battles that would involve his team playing a series of exhibition games against WPS teams.

While those reports made clear that any settlement was contingent upon the approval of US Soccer, it appears now that US Soccer and FIFA rules would have prohibited any exhibition games involving non-league magicJack playing WPS teams.

Here's the skinny on new signing Josue Martinez from Kenneth Hernandez, soccer writer for Costa Rican daily Al Dia:

• "Martínez is a player for the future. He's still young and he has a lot to give. But he's just 21 and he needs to establish himself as a forward who responds with goals.

Photo: Courtesy US Soccer

Today marks the return of one series and the start of another. First, fresh on the heels of our series of raves, we begin our series of season reviews of every Philadelphia Union player who saw more than ten minutes of action in 2011 (sorry Morgan!