The NWSL Challenge Cup is set to begin Saturday and the league today rolled out an updated schedule as well as team rosters for what is now an eight team tournament. The Orlando Pride, following positive COVID-19 tests for ten members of the team (players and staff) announced Monday they would not be participating in the event.
St. Louis region representatives at the games include one new face – Sarah Luebbert (Jeff City), who earned First-Team All-SEC honors with Missouri as a senior in 2019, leading the Tigers in assists as well as SEC Freshman of the Year earlier in her career. She was signed by the Chicago Red Stars recently and is one of 28 players for CRS. Alyssa Mautz (Ft. Zumwalt West) is not on the CRS roster after tearing an ACL in her left knee during training. Mautz’s season ended in May last year when she tore the ACL in her right knee. She is the longest tenured player in Chicago Red Stars history, the midfielder has played in 124 matches for the club. One other missing player is Julie King, due to the Orlando Pride dropping out.
REPRESENTING MISSOURI
Shea Groom, Houston Dash (Texas A&M/Liberty Jays)
Becky Sauerbrunn, Portland Thorns (Virginia/Ladue Rams)
Dorian Bailey, Washington Spirit (North Carolina/St. Teresa Academy)
Sarah Luebbert, Chicago Red Stars (Mizzou/Jeff City)
The tournament will kick off with the preliminary rounds where each team will play four matches, followed by two knockout stages and the final. The top-eight teams out of the preliminary rounds will be placed into a seeded bracket to contest the quarterfinals (so everyone in other words). There will be no extra time in any match played in the NWSL Challenge Cup. In the knockout stage, if a match is tied at the end of regulation, kicks from the penalty mark shall be taken to determine the winner. Teams will be permitted five (5) substitutions per match and no more than three (3) substitution stoppages per team will be allowed in each game.
| TV SCHEDULE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Time | Match | TV |
| Sat | 11:30 am | North Carolina Courage vs. Portland Thorns | CBS KMOV |
| Sat | 9:00 pm | Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Spirit | CBS All Access |
| Tue | 11:30 am | Houston Dash vs. Utah Royals | CBS All Access |
| Tue | 9:00 pm | OL Reign vs. Sky Blue FC | CBS All Access |
| Wed | 11:30 am | Portland Thorns FC vs. Chicago Red Stars | CBS All Access |
| Wed | 9:00 pm | Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage | CBS All Access |
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Sign up for @CBSAllAccess to watch every NWSL match live ➡️ https://t.co/mM1MgCkTuR
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 23, 2020
The TV schedule is available in my Soccer on TV Calendar that you can find on the home page of the website, bottom right. It takes you up to the playoffs which begin Friday July 17. All of the round robin matches will be used to provide seeding for the Quarterfinals that will be play July 17-18.
Some accounts to follow include @CBSSportsHQ for TV updates,
𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓟𝓻𝓸 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽 🖋️
Congratulations to @sarah_luebbe for signing with @chiredstarsPR for the #NWSLChallengeCup ‼️
📰https://t.co/OeWuVxwbew#MizzouMade x #ShowMe 🐯⚽️ pic.twitter.com/EU0IQk2ypM
— Mizzou Soccer (@MizzouSoccer) June 23, 2020
USWNT's Rapinoe, Heath among players opting out of NWSL tournament https://t.co/xsurM6T6VP
— #MyPLSummer (@NBCSportsSoccer) June 23, 2020
NWLS Challenge Cup Begins Saturday
