The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has announced their entire fall schedule. The Sept. 3 announcement marks a relaunch of the season following the Challenge Cup championship on July 26.
The Fall Series will feature 18 matches over the next seven weeks and will consist of only regional matchups. The league’s nine teams have been split into three pods – West, Northeast and South – to reduce travel and exposure to COVID-19.
Over the summer, the Challenge Cup, held in a bubble in Utah, saw no COVID-19 cases, along with record-breaking viewership, a first-time champion in the Houston Dash and plenty of great action.
Building on the success of the tournament, the league’s return to play is sure to provide even more highlights. Here’s what to watch for:
Who will rise to the occasion
Players need to play, but with such uncertainty surrounding what the season restart would look like post-Utah, many players have shipped off to Europe either on temporary loan or permanently.
Between transfers and athletes opting to not play during the pandemic, many teams will not be at full strength. Who will step up? Will it be league rookies wanting to establish themselves, or veteran players hoping to make a U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) roster? We’ll have to see.
Can’t-miss matches
The North Carolina Courage and Houston Dash will take the pitch on Friday, Sept. 11, and again on Sunday, Oct. 4, in a battle of champions.
The Courage, back-to-back reigning NWSL champions, suffered a first round knockout in the summer tournament. The Dash, on the other hand, are the league’s most recent champions, winning the Challenge Cup (marking their first- ever championship in the league). Both teams have something to prove, whether it’s getting back on top or staying on top, and the matches are likely to be good ones.
Portland Thorns FC will face off against OL Reign on, Saturdays, Sept. 12 and Oct. 10. The Northwest rivalry in American soccer is arguably the biggest in the country: just look at the MLS’ Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. Tensions will be high and the pressure to win will be on.
On Saturday, Sept. 19 the Courage will face the Orlando Pride in the Pride’s first match of the season. Orlando, who dropped out from of the Cup shortly before it began due to high numbers of COVID-19 cases, will be eager to play. However, missing both the summer training and a large part of their roster due to loans may prove quite the challenge. A matchup against the reigning champions is sure to be interesting. The two teams will see each other again on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The goals that don’t happen
The Challenge Cup saw some incredible goalie performances from Portland’s dynamic duo of Bella Bixby and Britt Eckerstrom all the way to Sky Blue FC’s Golden Glove winner Kailen Sheridan.
While the goals scored in the Fall Series will be exciting, the goals denied will be as well.
Off the field storylines
From the Orlando Pride stan curse to the countless parody social media accounts that came as a result of the summer tournament, the opportunities during the Fall Series are endless as to what the community will think of (and make fun of).
Watch for who’s watching
The Challenge Cup’s first and last matches, which aired on CBS for the first time ever, saw record-breaking viewership. As a result, one match per week during the Fall Series will now air on CBS in September and CBS Sports Network in October. With the demand high, large viewership could lead to even bigger broadcasting opportunities and more exposure for the league and women’s sports as a whole in the U.S.
While it took over a month for the season relaunch, NWSL fans will be pleased to see their favorite teams back in action this fall and a bit of normalcy restored during such unprecedented times.
It all kicks off Saturday, Sept. 5.
Photo Courtesy of Jeffery Swinger
