WE'RE less than a week away from the launch of season two of the W-League, with players and spectators alike keen to end the interminably long months’ break.

And while they've been away from the Australian football pitches and out of ABC televisual viewing sight, not all players have had such an extended off-season.

Five Matildas and W-League players - Sarah Walsh, Collette McCallum, Heather Garriock, Lydia Williams, and Lisa De Vanna - headed overseas to play in the USA's inaugural professional women's football league, the WPS. I chatted to Walsh and McCallum about their WPS experiences and what they expect from the W-League's season two.

Walsh was battling with a car GPS when I spoke to her, with the intermittently audible system proving more anti­-navigation than navigation. Surprisingly, she remained composed throughout, occasionally issuing instructions to the person driving before picking up her train of thought and continuing the interview.

But perhaps it's not surprising at all. Walsh is a seasoned professional who has taken such potentially devastating things as three - yes, three - knee reconstructions in her stride.

And her foray into the WPS hasn't been without its challenges. She was originally drafted to New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC along with McCallum, but neither could have anticipated the tumultuous times ahead. Their head coach was sacked, their assistant coach resigned, and Sky Blue FC (and US national team) captain Christie Rampone had to adopt the dual role of coach and captain to see them through.

Sky Blue FC eventually went on to win the championship, defeating favourites LA Sol, which boasts world number one player Marta. It was a win that McCallum calls 'amazing' given the dramas, but Walsh didn't get to enjoy it first hand, having by then been transferred to St Louis Athletica.

It is, perhaps, slightly bittersweet, but Walsh is incredibly diplomatic about what she terms 'a bit of a crazy year'. And her new team, which didn't boast any 'stars', performed better than expected, only being knocked out of finals contention 0-1 by eventual winners Sky Blue FC.

In fact, Walsh says that not having any big names was actually to St Louis' advantage, as the players combined to play well as a cohesive team rather than relying on one or two individuals' talents.

Despite being hampered by a hamstring injury, Walsh managed one assist and one goal during her time at Sky Blue FC and one goal and two assists with St Louis. Ever the striker, though, she feels that she could have performed better. 'Overall I don't feel like I had a great season,' she says. 'One goal [at Sky Blue FC] was pretty disappointing.'

Still, she says, the WPS was an incredible experience. For starters, football in the US is massive. Which is one important difference between the WPS and the W-League, with the size and sponsorship of the WPS enabling it to pay players. As McCallum, who was holidaying in New York when I caught up with her, noted, being paid to train and play full time against some of the best female players in the world is a pretty good gig.

Having fellow Australians there helped too, with Walsh and McCallum living together for the first four months and all four players catching up or keeping in contact as much as possible. McCallum also points out that it was 'good for other Australians to know that there are Aussies playing over there' and might inspire future generations of footballers.

Both also noted a difference in the training and playing intensity, which improved their games. 'The US play at a high tempo, which is really hard to keep up with if you're not used it,' Walsh says.

And football is increasingly on Americans' radar. 'Most people in the US know who the captain is. And the college teams and development programs are crazy. There's much more depth and so many more girls playing soccer over here,' Walsh says.

Playing alongside and against world-class and experienced players such as Marta and Rampone also raised the playing bar. So were they intimidating to play against? Both Walsh and McCallum say no, because they were already familiar with playing against them in international friendlies and the World Cup. McCallum saw them as beatable and focused on getting her tactics right, while Walsh says, 'knowing you can beat them also builds your confidence.'

WPS games attracted anywhere between 3000 and 7000, depending on the stadiums, and the WPS, which had signed a three-year TV deal with 24-hour football network Fox Soccer Channel on occasion out-rated Major League Soccer for viewing figures.

The WPS also made the most of opportunities to meet with fans. 'The WPS players would go to a restaurant and meet fans there, so then everyone could get to know you a bit more,' she says. For the record, the meetings occurred after the players had eaten dinner-this writer was initially confused and asking McCallum if it was a little weird to have people watching her eat.

The W-League can't yet match the WPS in terms of scale or salary, but it is making progress. 'To us, season one was a success,' Walsh says. 'It was exciting because we'd never really had an established national league, ABC covered it, and it was just crazy. Apparently,' she adds with some mirth, '4pm Saturday is just about prime time on the ABC, as that's when most people are coming in from gardening.'

Season two sees the introduction of some international footballers, some of whom played with Walsh and McCallum in the WPS, who are guaranteed to raise the competition's tempo and international profile.

So what do Walsh and McCallum expect of themselves for the coming W-League season?

McCallum is looking forward to playing under her new Perth coach, about whom she's heard good things, while Walsh says that she'd like 'to have a good league and score some good goals. I kind of want to bust out and have a good league,' she says.

Something tells us they both will.