The last two days of preliminary matches are upon us to determine the seeding for the quarterfinals which begin on Friday, July 17th. The only certainty right now is that the North Carolina Courage will be the 1-seed; everything else is up for grabs.
There are many excellent stories to read today, so be sure to scroll all the way through to the league-wide and team/athlete highlights section for athlete profiles, behind the scenes at the NWSL village, and more.
Top Stories
No huge NWSL news has dropped since Racing Louisville’s name and brand reveal on Wednesday. The focus of this week is primarily on the Pride celebrations and initiatives of each team as we enjoy the last games before the knockout rounds. Make sure to watch the video from OL Reign featuring Jess Fishlock and the meaning of Pride.
The MVP of the NWSL Challenge Cup? A family cleaning business hit hard by the pandemic (Hannah Lichtenstein, The Equalizer)
NWSL press release for teams’ Pride Month initiatives (via Twitter)
NWSL Challenge Cup
As I said in today’s newsletter byline, chaos reigns supreme in the Challenge Cup, and we should embrace and enjoy it. Charles Olney puts it into great context in the piece below.
Team Chaos is Winning the Challenge Cup, and That's Great (Charles Olney, Backline Soccer)
Current Standings
The table is very crowded in the middle and final positioning hangs in the balance based on the results of Sunday and Monday’s matches. A team like Sky Blue could end up a #2 seed with a victory over Carolina on Monday or a potential 8-seed with a loss, in which case they’d have to play Carolina again in the quarterfinals. Obviously every team wants to win to avoid putting themselves in the position of facing the Courage in the first round, but that fate has to fall to someone.
Match Recaps
Wed. July 8th - Utah Royals 0, OL Reign 1
Bethany Balcer's late goal gives Reign first Challenge Cup win (Sandra Herrea, CBS Sports)
Utah Royals suffer their first loss in the Challenge Cup (Lucas Muller, RSL Soapbox)
Stoppage-time goal lifts OL Reign to first win at NWSL Challenge Cup (Steve Voght, Ride of the Valkyries)
Wed. July 8th - Sky Blue FC 2, Houston Dash 0
Sky Blue FC defeat Houston Dash, end scoring dry spell to climb to second in NWSL Challenge Cup standings (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Sky Blue pick up 2-0 first win over Houston (JJ Post, Once a Metro)
Upcoming Matches - Sunday, July 12th
12:30PM ET - Washington Spirit (1-1-1) vs Houston Dash (1-1-1)
Match Previews:
Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash in NWSL Challenge Cup (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Spirit face Dash in final fixture of Challenge Cup preliminary stage
Preview | Dash look to bounce back against Washington Spirit
10:00PM ET - Utah Royals FC (1-1-1) vs Chicago Red Stars (0-2-1)
Match Previews:
Chicago Red Stars vs. Utah Royals FC in NWSL Challenge Cup (Sandra Herrea, CBS Sports)
Utah Royals FC wrap up group stage vs. Chicago Red Stars (Cindy Lara, RSL Soapbox)
Upcoming Matches - Monday, July 13th
12:30PM ET - OL Reign (1-1-1) vs Portland Thorns FC (0-1-2)
10:00PM ET - Sky Blue FC (1-1-1) vs North Carolina Courage (3-0-0)
All games air on CBS All Access (US & Canada) and Twitch for international viewers.
League-wide News and Stories
Multiple players returning from ACL injuries get first minutes in Challenge Cup (Bria Felicien, All for XI)
A PEEK INSIDE THE NOTEBOOK OF VLATKO ANDONOVSKI (Just Women’s Sports)
Nahomi Kawasumi brings joy as Sky Blue starts to gel, questions remain for Reign (Meg Linehan, The Athletic)
Team and Athlete Highlights
Sarah Gorden opens up about her desire to form a coalition for Black NWSL players and more (Sandra Herrera, CBS Sports)
Jennifer Cudjoe has her breakout star performance (Kim McCauley, All for XI)
BETOS’ RETURN A PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL TRIUMPH (OL Reign)
Life for the Red Stars in the NWSL village is as competitive as on the pitch (Annie Costabile, Chicago Sun Times)
An ‘unbelievable feeling’: Multicultural soccer player signs pro contract (Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi, Navajo Times)
Lo'eau LaBonta Player Feature (Just Women’s Sports)
You have no idea what the Washington Spirit’s Ashley Sanchez will do next, because neither does she (Andre Carlisle, Black and Red United)
Tziarra King celebrates the moment while maintaining a wider perspective (Maura Gladys, The Equalizer)
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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