Post by Monika on Mar 17, 2021 13:40:46 GMT -8
(Graphic via NWSL.com)
The National Women's Soccer League has released it's full schedule for the 2021 Challenge Cup. Each of the league's 10 teams will play four games and leading up to a single championship game on May 8.
Last year, the league held the first Challenge Cup, during which all games were held at a single location in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was done due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Portland Thorns FC finished last year's tournament with a mark of 0-3-1 and in eighth place. That put them up against the North Carolina Courage, the number one seed, in the first round. The Thorns emerged with a 1-0 win over the Courage. However, the Thorns fell to the Houston Dash, 2-0, in the semifinal round. The Dash went on to defeat the Chicago Red Stars, 2-0, to earn the championship.
A full season will be held following the Challenge Cup, though that schedule has yet to be released. The league underwent a pair of changes in the offseason. The Utah Royals FC ceasing operations and transferring all their player assets to the expansion Kansas City NWSL team of Kansas City, Kansas. The league also welcomes the expansion Racing Louisville FC, which is based out of that Kentucky city. The Royals maintain the right to come back to the league in 2023.
Three matches will be broadcast on CBSSN, while all others are available on Paramount+. All matches will be available for streaming on Twitch. The championship match will be broadcast on CBS, as well as Paramount+. Specific broadcast information is noted in the schedule below.
Our schedule includes all dates, times and broadcast information for each match, including the championship match. The Thorns' matches are scheduled for April 9, 15, 21, and May 2. Thorns' games are highlighted in Bold Green. All times on this schedule are pacific time and are subject to change. Click on the final score of the match for the boxscore and other information about the result of that match.
SCHEDULE
Fri., April 9 - Chicago Red Stars 0, Houston Dash (H) 0
Fri., April 9 - Portland Thorns FC (H) 2, Kansas City 1
Sat., April 10 - North Carolina Courage (H) 3, Washington Spirit 2
Sat., April 10 - Orlando Pride 1, Racing Louisville FC (H) 1
Wed., April 14 - NJ/NY Gotham FC (H) 1 Orlando Pride 0
Thr., April 15 - Washington Spirit (H) 1, Racing Louisville FC 0
Thr., April 15 - Portland Thorns FC 1, Chicago Red Stars (H) 0
Fri., April 16 - Houston Dash 0, OL Reign (H) 0
Tue., April 20 - NJ/NY Gotham FC (H) 4, North Carolina Courage 3
Tue., April 20 - Kansas City 1, Chicago Red Stars 1
Wed., April 21 - Orlando Pride (H) 1, Washington Spirit 0
Wed., April 21 - Portland Thorns FC (H) 2, OL Reign 0
Mon., April 26 - North Carolina Courage 3, Racing Louisville FC (H) 2
Mon., April 26 - Houston Dash 3, Kansas City 1
Tue., April 27 - NJ/NY Gotham FC 0, Washington Spirit 0
Tue., April 27 - OL Reign 3, Chicago Red Stars 2
Sat., May 1 - Orlando Pride 0, North Carolina Courage (H) 0
Sun,. May 2 - Racing Louisville 0, NJ/NY Gotham FC (H) 0
Sun., May 2 - Portland Thorns FC 1, Houston Dash, (H) 1
Mon., May 3 - OL Reign 2, Kansas City (H) 1
Sat,. May 8 - CHAMPIONSHIP - Portland Thorns FC (H) 1, NJ/NY Gotham FC 1 (Thorns win on PK 6-5)
STANDINGS WEST DIVISION
Portland Thorns - 10 (3-0-1)
OL Reign FC - 7 (2-1-1)
Houston Dash - 6 (1-0-3)
Chicago Red Stars - 2 (0-2-2)
Kansas City - 1 (0-3-1)
STANDINGS EAST DIVISION
NJ/NY Gotham FC - 8 (2-0-2)
North Carolina Courage - 7 (2-1-1)
Orlando Pride - 5 (1-1-2)
Washington Spirit - 6 (1-2-1)
Racing Louisville FC - 2 (0-2-2)
NWSL HOME PITCHES 2021
Chicago Red Stars -- Seatgeek Stadium; Bridgeview, Illinois
Houston Dash -- BBVA Compass Stadium; Houston, Texas
Kansas City -- Field of Legends; Kansas City, Kansas
North Carolina Courage -- Sahlen's Stadium; Cary, North Carolina
Orlando Pride -- Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Florida
OL Reign FC -- Cheney Stadium; Tacoma, Washington
Portland Thorns -- Providence Park; Portland, Oregon
Racing Louisville FC - Lynn Family Stadium; Louisville, Kentucky
NJ/NY Gotham FC -- Red Bull Stadium; Montclair St. University; Harrison, New Jersey
Washington Spirit -- Segra Field; Leesburg, Virginia
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