NWSL: Matching NFL expansion numbers?

Big claims from NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman at the U.S. Soccer SheBelieves Summit last week.

"Our board believes that we can be the size of the NFL, there is nothing that stands in the way of us doing that, other than having access to top talent. There's certainly not a problem with the supply, given the size of our country and the level of talent that exists, we just need to figure out how to develop them strategically and intentionally."

If you're not familiar, the NFL has 32 teams. Starting next year, the NWSL will have 16. It's taken a few years to get here...so can we make it to 32?

Look, I'm a NFL girl through and through. So, here's a little NFL history lesson to see if the NWSL has a shot.

That football league started with 10 teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. (Some places say 14, but that all depends on when you look in 1920. Four additional teams joined later in 1920 after the league was founded.) Two years later, the APFA became the National Football League (NFL) and remains today. Of the original 14 teams, only two remain: the Chicago Bears (Decatur Staleys) and Arizona Cardinals (Racine Cardinals.)

There was some competition over the years (just like the USL and the NWSL right now). The biggest challenge was in the 1960s from the American Football League. In 1970, the NFL and AFL merged, creating a 26-team league. (Could we see a NWSL and USL merger in the future??) Since then, we've seen the NFL expand a few times, and the league now hosts 32 teams.

Ok, ok...back to what got us here. Even though the NWSL is not actively running an expansion process, Berman says they are having "continued active conversations with interested groups." She didn't elaborate on a timeline for the next round of expansions, though.

There have been some concerns expressed, anonymously of course, from the league. You can read more about that from ESPN.

We'll be watching this conversation closely...