NWSL Weekly - Challenge Cup Finals Edition, July 26, 2020
The Challenge Cup comes to a close as the Chicago Red Stars take on the Houston Dash in the tournament championship
Well friends, it’s finally here - the day we have been waiting for with great anticipation but also with an equal measure of sadness. The NWSL Challenge Cup finals, and potentially the end of the NWSL 2020 “season.”
So much has happened since this tournament began almost a month ago. Several other major league sports returned to play in the United States (the NWSL was first, for the record). The Orlando Pride never made it to Utah but became the biggest fans/stans of the Challenge Cup. Two new teams joined the league - welcome, Louisville and LA. Only one goal was scored during the quarterfinals. An innocuous playground became an unlikely star. The beginning of a possible European exodus began with Sam Mewis. Important discussions and actions around social justice took place as players used their voices to speak up and speak out. There was chaos at every turn and underdogs flourished.
I keep thinking about how unlikely it is that any of this would have happened were it not for Lisa Baird taking over the vacant league commissioner position at the end of February. The start of her tenure has been quite possibly the most unique and challenging for any first-time commissioner, and obviously was not what she (or any of us) expected when she took on the role. Her leadership guided the league through what could have been a year of no play. Instead of the league floundering, it blossomed; Baird brought on new sponsors (shout-out P&G, Secret, Google, and Verizon), signed a broadcast deal with CBS, earned the trust of the players, and put together a safely-run tournament in the middle of a pandemic.
The future of the league seems brighter than ever which is why I’ll be sad to see the tournament come to an end today just when the NWSL was finally having its long overdue moment in the spotlight. I hope the momentum carries through the remainder of the year, whatever the rest of 2020 entails for the league and its players.
We’ll (hopefully) never see anything exactly like the Challenge Cup ever again, so cherish its final moments of glory and be grateful it existed at all.
Top Stories
Probably the biggest news in the latter half of the week was the report from Meg Linehan that Sam Mewis has signed a contract to join Manchester City. This sparked a whirlwind of speculation and questions around what other players might do (both those on the USWNT and those not), what this means for NWSL clubs in the short and long term, and how this could impact the USWNT in the lead up to Tokyo (still a huge question mark in my opinion that the Olympics go on as planned).
As of right now we only know Sam Mewis is a sure thing, but Jeff Kassouf at The Equalizer hinted that more overseas signings could be coming. Read the links below for more on that news as well as a few other Challenge Cup-related pieces (and scroll to the later sections for even more NWSL stories).
Sources: Sam Mewis joining Manchester City, Rose Lavelle considering offer (Meg Linehan, The Athletic)
Report: Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle expected to join Manchester City (The Equalizer)
U.S. soccer star Rose Lavelle drawing interest from Manchester City (Steven Goff, Washington Post)
NWSL tells players to save a date for a return as Challenge Cup wraps up (Meg Linehan, The Athletic)
Ashley Sanchez Wins 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Future Legend Award (Alejandra Martin)
Rachel Daly named Budweiser Tournament MVP in 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
Kailen Sheridan of Sky Blue FC named Challenge Cup Golden Glove winner
A sneak peek of the NWSL Challenge Cup trophy (yes, it appears to be a cup. Yes, this means players can drink Budweiser out of it). Peep the hype video below from CBS.
NWSL Challenge Cup
And then there were two. Few people (myself included) had the Dash and Red Stars going all the way to the end of this crazy tourney. Like most, I assumed the Courage would be playing today with it not mattering much who was on the other side because the Courage would likely destroy them. I’m so very glad I was wrong. Both Houston and Chicago had interesting paths to the tournament, grinding out wins at the right time and battling hard to earn their spots in the final.
Houston started off red hot then cooled down before getting their offense back when they needed it the most. Chicago on the other hand got off to a slow start and apparently saved their goal scoring for the semifinals. It will be interesting to see which team has enough gas left in the tank after the gauntlet of games it took to get to this point.
No matter the outcome, the winner will be a first-time champion in the league and that’s pretty cool!
Challenge Cup Finals - #4 Houston Dash vs #6 Chicago Red Stars
Sunday, July 26th 12:30PM ET on CBS, CBS All Access, and Twitch
Match Previews:
Challenge Cup championship preview: no goals or seven goals nothing in between (Stephanie Yang, All for XI)
NWSL Challenge Cup final preview: Houston Dash, Chicago Red Stars both eyeing first trophy (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Match Preview: Houston Dash vs. Chicago Red Stars (Chicago Red Stars)
Dash look to capture first championship in NWSL Challenge Cup Final on Sunday (Houston Dash)
NWSL CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: HOUSTON DASH VS CHICAGO RED STARS (Just Women’s Sports)
The NWSL Is About To Crown A Brand-New Champion (Bria Felicien, FiveThirtyEight)
Match Recaps
Wed. July 22nd, Semifinals - Houston Dash 1, Portland Thorns 0
Houston Dash knock off Portland Thorns FC to punch ticket to NWSL Challenge Cup final (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Dash top Portland 1-0 to reach NWSL Challenge Cup Final (Houston Dash)
NWSL CHALLENGE CUP MATCH RECAP | Houston Dash 1, Portland Thorns FC 0 (Brian Costello, ThornsFC.com)
Wed. July 22nd, Semifinals - Chicago Red Stars 3, Sky Blue FC 2
Chicago Red Stars hang on to beat Sky Blue FC and secure spot in NWSL Challenge Cup final on Sunday (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Chicago Defeats Sky Blue FC 3-2, Advances To NWSL Challenge Cup Championship (Chicago Red Stars)
Sky Blue Falls to Chicago 3-2 in Tight Semifinal Matchup (Sky Blue FC)
League-wide News and Stories
Remarkable, much-needed culture changes were on display in Challenge Cup semis (Meg Linehan, The Athletic)
NWSL Challenge Cup Preliminary Round Report - Social Performance (Zoomph)
NWSL Beginnings: The untold story behind the league’s logo and silhouette (Jeff Kassouf, The Equalizer)
Lisa Baird on the state of the NWSL: Sponsorship, 2020 play, expansion (Dan Lauletta, The Equalizer)
NWSL Challenge Cup spotlights desire among coaches, players for more knockout competitions (Pardeep Cattry, The Equalizer)
NWSL’s virus protocols successful as tournament final nears (Annie M. Peterson, AP)
Team and Athlete Highlights
Houston Dash captain Rachel Daly explains why she's playing for more than a trophy (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Why this Chicago Red Stars playoff journey has been unlike any other (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Sarah Gorden’s goal is to bridge gap between women’s soccer, Black community with youth camps (Annie Costabile, Chicago Sun-Times)
Savannah McCaskill’s offseason push pays big dividends in NWSL Challenge Cup (John D Halloran, The Equalizer)
SHEA GROOM: “IT WOULD MEAN EVERYTHING” FOR HOUSTON TO GO HOME CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPS (Just Women’s Sports)
How the Orlando Pride turned a curse into a blessing (Susie Rants, All for XI)
If you’d like to chat all things NWSL or share any important stories I missed, you can find me on Twitter here - @CWxSports.
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