Tag: nwsl challenge cup

Alex Morgan chalks NWSL Challenge Cup-winning goal to ‘longest offseason I’ve had’

Morgan said focusing on her craft in an unusually long offseason helped her get the winner for the San Diego Wave

HARRISON, N.J. — Even at this point in a glittering career dating back over a decade, Alex Morgan is preaching the values of good old-fashioned practice.

Before a crowd of 14,000 at Red Bull Arena on Friday, Morgan’s late header gave the San Diego Wave a smash-and-grab 1-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC in the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup.

The U.S. women’s national team star was part of the side that won the inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup just five days before the Challenge Cup, which is now a one-off curtain-raiser between the defending league champions (Gotham) and the NWSL Shield winner (San Diego) held a day before the NWSL regular season commences.

Between some early-season imprecision and the heavy legs of national team players on both sides (Morgan was one of nine USWNT players to suit up on the day), it was a game long on defensive organization and grit, and short on attacking threats at either end of the pitch.

San Diego ended up being credited with just seven shot attempts, but Morgan used a combination of strength and veteran savvy to shed her markers on an 88th minute corner, heading home the game’s only goal.

Speaking to reporters in a post-game mixed zone, Morgan insisted that one could draw a direct line between her game-winner and what she called “probably the longest offseason that I’ve had.”

“Just personally, I feel like I worked really hard this offseason,” said the 34-year-old striker. “Took the rest I needed, and then really built from that, worked on the things I wanted to — I needed to — work on, that I don’t get to throughout the season. So it feels good, being able to execute the things that I wanted to, and go out and help my team.”

Morgan was open about focusing on a lifting program designed for injury prevention after missing time in 2023. That was followed by position-specific work that came even as she was left off of the USWNT’s December roster and was only a late call-up for the W Gold Cup after Mia Fishel suffered a torn ACL.

“It was a lot of back-to-goal stuff, quick release, in and around the box,” said Morgan. “Things like a fake shot, or getting a couple inches in the box and and taking advantage of that.

“And then, a lot of crosses. I trained a lot with Kristen McNabb and some other [Wave] teammates in the offseason, they were whipping in a lot of crosses. And so, on the corner, the goal tonight, [it] was just a result of a lot of the heading that I was doing in the offseason.”

If you ask Morgan, all that work sharpened her in front of goal, but also kept her ready for the surprise U.S. recall.

“Going into the [W Gold Cup] last minute definitely put a little bit of a kink in things, but I felt really ready. I felt game-fit and ready to play,” explained Morgan.

“As much as it seemed like a whirlwind from the outside, I just felt like it was just something that I needed to kind of expect. You know, expect the unexpected. So, just having an opportunity to win two championships and being able to accomplish that in one week? I mean, it’s pretty wild.”

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NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. San Diego Wave: How to watch NWSL Challenge Cup, live stream

The 2024 NWSL season kicks off at Red Bull Arena on Friday night

The NWSL season’s official kickoff comes on Friday night, when NJ/NY Gotham FC hosts the San Diego Wave in the 2024 Challenge Cup.

While the Challenge Cup used to be an in-season tournament, it is now a one-off match that will kick off the campaign.

Gotham FC, the defending NWSL champion will host the Wave, the defending NWSL Shield winner, before the NWSL regular season starts on Saturday.

The home side added a host of U.S. national team stars over the offseason, with Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Tierna Davidson, and Emily Sonnett all joining. Lavelle, along with fellow USWNT attacker Lynn Williams, will miss this match for the Bats with injury.

Featuring USWNT talent like Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw, the Wave will one again be expected to be near the top of the table in 2024.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.

NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. San Diego Wave (NWSL Challenge Cup)

  • When: Friday, March 15
  • Where: Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.)
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: Prime Video

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NC Courage win 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup as Kerolin, Matsukubo put on a show

The Courage sure do love the NWSL Challenge Cup

The North Carolina Courage sure seem to love the NWSL Challenge Cup.

The Courage won the league’s cup competition for the second year running, posting a 2-0 win over a Racing Louisville who simply never had enough gas in the tank to keep up. Kerolin and Manaka Matsukubo scored in each half, and were the dominant forces sparking a comprehensive victory for the hosts.

Over the last three seasons, the Courage have amassed a 12W-6D-2L record in this competition, which will reportedly be scaled down to a one-game curtain-raiser in 2024. Few will mourn the end of a competition that the NWSL, its teams, and its broadcast partner never seemed quite sure what to do with. With an excellent track record in the tournament,  one can excuse North Carolina for any wishes to keep the Challenge Cup alive.

Heavy storms in the Triangle region soaked the field Saturday morning, and while conditions looked good at kickoff, a lightning strike in the area forced referee Alex Billeter to send the teams to the locker rooms after just 11 minutes.

Following a 139-minute delay, North Carolina — who had forced a good stop out of Katie Lund in the opening stages — got right back to work, with Lund tipping a Manaka Matsukubo shot off the post.

The danger kept coming from Kerolin attacking Louisville’s left flank, and the Brazilian finally produced a 28th-minute breakthrough with a powerful shot that somehow squeezed between Lund and the near post.

The stats backed up just how dominant the Courage were in the first half: the hosts had all seven of the game’s shots on goal, holding two-thirds of the possession. Louisville’s only modest look came seconds before the break, with Thembi Kgatlana (possibly from an offside position) poking a deflected cross wide.

North Carolina were still finding gaps as the second half got underway, and while the busy Lund made another big stop to deny Tess Boade, there was little she could do to deny Matsukubo in the 54th minute.

The 19-year-old, a July addition for the Courage, improvised brilliantly to lob Racing’s goalkeeper from the top of the box, capping off a superb performance  by becoming the youngest player to ever score in an NWSL knockout match of any kind.

Louisville finally generated a truly good look immediately after the goal, with the ball eventually skewing up and off the crossbar amid some chaos in the North Carolina penalty area.

That served as a preview for a 77th minute corner, in which Ary Borges’ half-volley forced Casey Murphy into a reflex save to fend off a comeback.

Set piece play was Louisville’s most promising path to opportunities in the game, and another ended with Kgatlana’s cross clipping two Courage players on the doorstep before somehow bobbling away without a finish.

To the team’s credit, Racing — who per CBS’s broadcast team endured a 15-hour travel day to arrive in North Carolina at 7:00 p.m. Friday night — kept battling, with Kgatlana and Uchenna Kanu both producing stoppage time looks.

However, there could be no mistaking who the better team was on the day, with the Courage hoisting the club’s seventh trophy.

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OL Reign’s Balcer tears into CBS over NWSL Challenge Cup scheduling snafu

“Screw CBS and put that game on YouTube for all I care”

After multiple NWSL scheduling stumbles, Bethany Balcer has had enough.

The OL Reign attacker lit into the league and its broadcast partner CBS, taking to social media to criticize the scheduling of Sunday’s Challenge Cup final.

“It BLOWS my mind that we have had the challenge cup for [three] years and we still are making the same mistakes,” read an Instagram story Balcer posted Wednesday morning.

Balcer then laid out the details of her complaint: the Reign are the Challenge Cup’s top seed, with 14 points and zero goals conceded in group play.

Nonetheless, because CBS has mandated a 12:30 p.m. ET broadcast for the final on September 9, a win over Racing Louisville on Wednesday night would result in the Seattle-based club boarding a plane to take on either the Kansas City Current or North Carolina Courage.

“Last year, we got the top seed, but couldn’t host the semifinal due to field scheduling conflicts that the league wouldn’t let us work around,” said Balcer, alluding to the Reign having to give up a home-field semifinal in 2022’s tournament.

In that incident, the Seattle Sounders’ CONCACAF Champions League final created a scheduling conflict, with that match and the Challenge Cup semifinal falling on the same day.

In a convoluted sequence of events, the match was initially scheduled for Segra Field — a widely disparaged exurban venue that the NWSL had once deemed insufficient to host a Washington Spirit league match — before being moved on short notice to Audi Field (which itself appeared to have a scheduling conflict that required some shuffling to alleviate).

The Reign would fall to the Spirit on penalties, having spent the entire week in the D.C. region to play Washington in a coincidentally-scheduled league match just days before the Challenge Cup semifinal.

“This year we got the top seed (AGAIN), and we actually get to host the semifinal (yay progress), but if we win we can’t host the final because the game would have to be at 9 a.m. [Pacific] because our CBS deal doesn’t give us any other time slot,” continued Balcer. “This happened with the NWSL Finals two years ago, because CBS gave us a horrid time.”

In that episode, the 2021 NWSL Championship game was scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET, again due to a broadcast window on CBS. The league initially awarded hosting rights to the Portland Thorns, but that required a 9:00 a.m. local kickoff time, something that sparked widespread pushback from players, fans, media, and just about anyone else in the NWSL’s orbit. Racing Louisville’s Lynn Family Stadium was the eventual host as the Spirit defeated the Chicago Red Stars in extra time.

Balcer: ‘Screw CBS and put that game on YouTube for all I care’

For Balcer, repeating the same issues at the potential detriment to the competition itself is enough of an issue to say that she’s essentially done with the CBS broadcast deal altogether.

“Screw CBS and put that game on YouTube for all I care,” stated Balcer. “No wonder we struggle to get the exposure and views we want…because what the league is giving us is S—.

“Once again, our reward for being the top seed is having to travel across the country to play a team who we should be playing at home during a 3 game week where we have the least amount of time to turnaround going from Sunday to Wednesday to Saturday.”

As any writer of persuasive essays will tell you, it’s good to offer a clear, concise, and strong expression of your overarching point. Balcer delivered on that front, calling out anyone that might have been involved in a decision that does not follow the competition’s own rules.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…well our league is looking pretty insane to me,” said Balcer. “Put the game on at 7pm local time for whoever is the top seed. If that is too difficult, you aren’t in the right job and you don’t care about growing the women’s game.”

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NWSL Challenge Cup semifinal pairings set after dramatic end to group stage

Four teams remain in the hunt for the Challenge Cup

The 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup has a final four.

NJ/NY Gotham FC’s tense 1-1 draw with the Orlando Pride on Wednesday settled the group stage in this year’s tournament, with the semifinals awaiting on September 6.

Gotham could have claimed the East division with a win in the final match of the entire group stage, but their draw let the North Carolina Courage advance on goal difference.

As a result, the defending Challenge Cup champions will travel to face the Kansas City Current, who won the Central division. OL Reign, the winners of the West division and top seed out of the semifinalists, will host Racing Louisville, whose 12 points were good enough to clinch the best runner-up spot over the Gotham FC (11) and Angel City FC (8).

Both games will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, with the Current vs. Courage match starting at 8:00 p.m. and Reign vs. Racing starting at 10:00 p.m. (both times Eastern).

The Challenge Cup final will take place on September 9. As the top seed, the Reign will host if they get past Louisville. Otherwise, the winner between Kansas City and North Carolina will get the showcase match, which will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

2023 saw NWSL adjust to criticism over the scheduling of last year’s edition of its second competition, with the Challenge Cup moving away from being a preseason tournament. This year’s version has been spread throughout the season, with essentially half of the tournament taking place during the World Cup break from regular season play.

New territory for three semifinalists

Three of the semifinalists would be in line for their first-ever win in a final, at least in their current guise. OL Reign has won three NWSL Shields as a model of regular-season consistency, but two appearances in the league’s championship game have ended in defeat.

While FC Kansas City won two NWSL titles in 2014 and 2015, they’ve been moved to Utah and then back, changing names twice in the process. As the Current, they lost in last year’s NWSL championship game.

For Racing Louisville, this trip to Lumen Field will be entirely new territory, as the club has not advanced to the playoffs or Challenge Cup knockout rounds in either of their previous seasons.

On the other hand, the Courage have six major trophies to their name, with a victory in last year’s Challenge Cup going with two NWSL titles and three NWSL Shields. The Courage had a 15-game unbeaten run in this competition broken up this past Saturday by a loss at Gotham, but survived to advance after the New Jersey-based side stumbled to a draw at the last hurdle.

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Portland Thorns vs. Gotham FC live stream, NWSL Challenge Cup, TV channel, start time, how to watch

The Portland Thorns will meet Gotham FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final on Saturday afternoon from Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

The Portland Thorns will meet Gotham FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup Final on Saturday afternoon from Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

Portland has been the hottest team in the NWSL and they’ll look to cap it off by taking home the trophy in the Championship on Saturday. This won’t be an easy task as Gotham FC comes into Portland with a mindset that anybody can be beaten even at home.

This should be a great match between these two powerhouses, make sure you tune in and don’t miss any of the action.

Portland Thorns vs. Gotham FC

NWSL Odds and Betting Lines

NWSL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Portland Thorns (-130) vs. Gotham FC (+280)

O/U: 2.5

Want some action on the NWSL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV at BetMGM.

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Former Buckeye Nichelle Prince and Houston Dash win NWSL Challenge Cup

Former Ohio State women’s soccer star Nichelle Prince helped lead the Houston Dash to the NWSL Challenge Cup Sunday.

Former Ohio State standout Nichelle Prince and her Houston Dash won the NWSL Challenge Cup Sunday by disposing of the Chicago Red Stars in the championship match 2-0.

Prince became instrumental in the final kick towards the championship. She started and played 71 minutes as Houston advanced on penalty kicks against Utah Royals FC July 17. before playing 89 minutes in a 1-0 win over the Portland Thorns July 22. She then went on to play another 87 minutes in the Dash’s 2-0 win over the Red Stars in the championship game.

Selected by the Dash with the 28th pick of the 2017 NWSL Draft, Prince has appeared in 53 career matches for Houston after leaving Ohio State fourth on the Buckeyes’ career assist list with 20. She was also sixth with 74 career points and tied for eighth with 27 career goals. At the international level, Prince has totaled 11 goals and 10 assists in 59 contests for the Canadian national team.

A 2017 Ohio State graduate, Prince helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and was part of the 2019 FIFA World Cup squad, scoring her first World Cup goal in a 2-0 victory over New Zealand.

 

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Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash, NWSL Challenge Cup Live Stream, NWSL Schedule, TV Channel, How to Watch

The NWSL is back and will continue on Sunday as the Washington Spirit will take on the Houston Dash in the 2020 Challenge Cup.

The National Women’s Soccer League is back on Sunday and will continue with the 2020 Challenge Cup. The NWSL Quarterfinals are just around the corner on July 17th, every match from here on out will mean something as they enter the playoffs.

Today, we have the Washington Spirit taking on the Houston Dash at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. While Houston is coming off its first group loss against Sky Blue FC, Washington is coming off a draw after coming back from a 1-0 deficit to draw with Portland Thorns FC.

Below you’ll find information on live coverage, the NWSL schedule, and what you need to know to watch the NWSL.

Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash

  • When: Sunday, July 12
  • Venue: Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah.
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
  • Live Stream: CBS All Access

NWSL Challenge Cup Schedule

July 12 

12:30 p.m. – Houston Dash vs. Washington Spirit

10 p.m. – Chicago Red Stars vs. Sky Blue FC

July 13

12:30 p.m –  OL Reign v. Portland Thorns FC

10 p.m. – Sky Blue FC v. North Carolina Courage

QUARTERFINALSJuly 17

12:30 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

10 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

July 18

12:30 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

10 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

SEMIFINALS

July 22

12:30 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

10 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

FINAL

July 26

12:30 p.m. – TBD vs. TBD

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