One month after making her NWSL return, Mana Shim is back scoring goals.

The 31-year-old midfielder scored her first NWSL goal since 2015 on Wednesday. She provided the lone strike for Gotham FC in their 1-1 draw with the Orlando Pride, scoring in the 91st minute off an assist from Midge Purce.

Shim helped spur investigations into coaching abuse across the NWSL as one of two players who detailed allegations of abuse against former Portland Thorns coach Paul Riley in a report published by The Athletic in 2021. She joined Gotham FC for the 2023 season after a five-year hiatus from the league.

With the draw, Gotham FC fell just short of a place in the Challenge Cup semifinals, but Shim still could appreciate her accomplishment.

“I mean this is bittersweet, and I couldn’t even celebrate because I was like, ‘We have to win this game,’” she said afterward. “And now that I have some time to reflect on it, obviously, it’s amazing. And I’m just so grateful that they trusted me to even be in the position to be on the field at that time.”

She called Gotham “the best group I’ve ever worked with” in her television interview postgame. She plays with her former Thorns teammate and fellow whistleblower Sinead Farrelly on the New Jersey-based club.

“I’m just enjoying it so much,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be with the group and I just feel honored to be a part of it.”

While she has played in just four matches since signing with the club in June, she has made her minutes count.

“We knew that Mana could help us,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said postgame. “And again, maybe a new position for her arriving late from left back, [but] very happy for her to get that goal.”

North American soccer fans may note that while the World Cup is going on, so is NWSL play.

But it’s not the regular season. It’s the NWSL’s Challenge Cup, which the league changed this year from a preseason tournament to an in-season competition — similar to the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup.

The schedule change has also allowed the league to continue play during the World Cup, keeping players who are not representing their national teams in form. This weekend marks the final slate of Challenge Cup group games before teams advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament to determine a winner.

Four teams from three divisions will move onto the semifinals. Already, OL Reign, Racing Louisville and the North Carolina Courage have clinched their spots. The Kansas City Current are currently second in Group C with 10 points, while Angel City and Gotham FC trail the leaders in their groups with seven points each. (You can see the full standings here.)

The two semifinal games will take place on Sept. 6, followed by the championship match on Sept. 9.

The final group play match schedule is as follows (all times ET):

  • Friday, Aug. 4
    • Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 7:00 p.m.
    • Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville, 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Aug. 5
    • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m.
    • Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
    • San Diego Wave vs. Angel City FC, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, Aug. 6
    • OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns, 6:00 p.m.

The NWSL Challenge Cup is here, with teams set to compete for a record prize pool of $1 million.

Beginning on April 19, three groups of four teams each will compete in the group stage, which will conclude on Aug. 6. All three division winners will advance to the semifinals, as well as the runner-up with the most points across all the divisions.

For a more in-depth look at players and teams to watch during the Challenge Cup, see staff writer Claire Watkins’ predictions for the revamped 2023 edition.

What are the divisions?

  • East Division:
    • NJ/NY Gotham FC
    • North Carolina Courage
    • Orlando Pride
    • Washington Spirit
  • Central Division:
    • Chicago Red Stars
    • Houston Dash
    • Kansas City Current
    • Racing Louisville
  • West Division:
    • Angel City FC
    • OL Reign
    • Portland Thorns
    • San Diego Wave FC

What happens in case of a tie?

If teams end up tied in points after the divisional round, the first tiebreak is goal differential, followed by goals scored. After that, the tiebreak moves to head-to-head results between the teams that are tied, followed by goal differential in those games. From there, it goes to head-to-head goals scored in games between the teams that are tied.

At the end of all of that, if teams are still tied, the tiebreak will rely on the number of yellow and red cards received by each team, and then to a draw.

When will the games take place?

The tournament is being held concurrently with the regular season for the first time. The inaugural 2020 edition replaced that year’s pandemic-canceled season, and the 2021 and 2022 editions were played during the preseason.

Challenge Cup games mostly will be played on Wednesdays, although during the World Cup break games also will take place on Friday and Saturday nights.

The two semifinal matches will take place on Sept. 6, followed by the championship match on Sept. 9.

What is the full schedule?

Note: All kickoff times are listed in Eastern Time. All matches are available on Paramount+ unless otherwise noted.

  • Wednesday, April 19:
    • Orlando Pride vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:00 p.m.
    • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit, 7:30 p.m.
    • Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
    • San Diego Wave vs. Portland Thorns, 10:00 p.m.
    • Angel City FC vs. OL Reign, 10:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Wednesday, May 3:
    • North Carolina Courage vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:00 p.m.
    • Houston Dash vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8:00 p.m.
    • OL Reign vs. Angel City FC, 10:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 10:
    • Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Wednesday, May 17:
    • Racing Louisville vs. Kansas City Current, 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, May 31:
    • Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville, 8:00 p.m.
    • San Diego Wave vs. OL Reign, 10:00 p.m.
    • Portland Thorns vs. Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 7:
    • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Orlando Pride, 7:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Wednesday, June 14:
    • Washington Spirit vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m.
    • Kansas City Current vs. Chicago Red Stars, 8:00 p.m.
    • Racing Louisville vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 28:
    • Orlando Pride vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:00 p.m.
    • Portland Thorns vs. OL Reign, 10:30 p.m.
    • Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
  • Friday, July 21:
    • Racing Louisville vs. Chicago Red Stars, 7:00 p.m.
    • Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m.
  •  Saturday, July 22:
    • North Carolina Courage vs. Washington Spirit, 7:00 p.m.
    • Kansas City Current vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
  • Friday, July 28:
    • Washington Spirit vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC, 7:30 p.m.
    • OL Reign vs. San Diego Wave, 10:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 29:
    • North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride, 7:00 p.m.
    • Chicago Red Stars vs. Kansas City Current, 8:00 p.m.
    • Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville, 8:30 p.m.
    • Angel City FC vs. Portland Thorns, 10:00 p.m.
  • Friday, Aug. 4:
    • Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit, 7:00 p.m.
    • Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville, 8:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, Aug. 5:
    • NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. North Carolina Courage, 7:30 p.m.
    • Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash, 8:00 p.m.
    • San Diego Wave vs. Angel City FC, 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, Aug. 6:
    • OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns, 6:00 p.m.

The increased Challenge Cup prize pool spotlights the growth of the NWSL, but the $1 million in prize money also has left some players frustrated — not by the amount, but by its relative worth compared to the NWSL Championship.

While the exact payouts for Challenge Cup-winning players have not been announced, the prize money could outstrip the bonuses players earn for winning the NWSL title.

Washington Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan said Tuesday that she appreciates the increase to the Challenge Cup prize pool, she still finds it “frustrating” that the winners of the in-season tournament could take home more money than the NWSL champions.

Player salaries have increased significantly under the league’s new CBA. Additionally, winners of the NWSL Championship and the NWSL Shield (awarded to the team with the best regular-season record) receive bonuses of at least $5,000, per the CBA.

But with UKG’s new investment in the Challenge Cup, winners of the in-season tournament could earn significantly more. Last season’s Challenge Cup handed out $10,000 each to players on the winning team, the same amount earned by players on the NWSL Shield-winning OL Reign.

“It cannot be more than” the Shield or Championship, OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock wrote on Twitter of the Challenge Cup prize pool. “Those things are ELITE and the Shield is literally the toughest thing to do.”

Only a few weeks into the regular season, the NWSL is already switching gears. The 2023 Challenge Cup kicks off with five games on Wednesday as the league gets set to debut a new Cup format in its fourth year of existence.

Instead of a preseason tournament, the Challenge Cup will run as an in-season campaign with games interspersed throughout the league’s regular season. To accommodate players competing in the World Cup this summer, the league will play only Challenge Cup games from July 10 to Aug. 17. The top four teams at the end of the Cup round-robin stage will advance to single-elimination semifinals on Sept. 6, and the final will be played on Sept. 9.

With more prize money available than ever before, players will be greatly incentivized to compete for the trophy. What can fans expect from this year’s version of the Challenge Cup? Let’s dig in.

Why the schedule change matters

The NWSL’s decision to turn the Challenge Cup into an in-season competition is rooted in recent history. In 2020, the Challenge Cup functioned as a mini-tournament replacing the regular season, as professional sports reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021 and 2022, the Challenge Cup became a preseason tournament, where teams played out the group stages before the regular season began. The scheduling was both a blessing and a curse as teams rotated depth and showed a varied commitment to immediate results versus long-term process.

For example, the NWSL’s two new California expansion sides in 2022, the San Diego Wave and Angel City FC, used Challenge Cup to test brand-new rosters ahead of the regular season. The Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage, meanwhile, played competitively all the way to the Challenge Cup final and then suffered in the regular season after a taxing Cup championship game.

Turning the Cup into a regular season competition should help teams stay sharp, and UKG’s commitment of $1 million in prize money — equitable to the winnings of the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament — will keep players engaged. While coaches will be tasked with keeping their squads fresh for the regular season matches on either side of their midweek Cup games, players will give their all with the opportunity to win bonuses that rival some of the highest in women’s soccer.

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With rookie Michelle Cooper and other veterans, Kansas City has the depth to sustain World Cup absences. (William Purnell/USA TODAY Sports)

Which teams are set up best to compete?

The Challenge Cup is a depth game, so the teams that have the ability to rotate without sacrificing quality will have the best chance at winning it all by the end of the year. Fitness and player absences for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in July and August will force some teams into greater challenges than others.

Historically, the Challenge Cup has rewarded scrappy sides who ride momentum and punch above their weight. In 2023, however, the stretched-out schedule could tip the scales back in favor of the NWSL Shield contenders. OL Reign, the Portland Thorns and the Kansas City Current boast the highest levels of depth in the NWSL.

While the Current’s injury bug could hold them back in the early stages of the competition, they have the reinforcements to power through the World Cup period of the Cup, including a number of top midfielders and attackers who will not be leaving for any period of time. Another team to watch out for is 2020 Challenge Cup champion Houston Dash, who have a frontline of red-hot talent that will not be leaving for Australia and New Zealand in July.

Other teams with the potential to hit their stride as the Cup progresses are Racing Louisville, the Chicago Red Stars and Angel City. All three of those clubs have shallow areas on their rosters, but due to their roster construction, could have more players available during the World Cup than a number of the league’s heavy-hitters.

Top players to watch: Check the midfield

In past Challenge Cups, strong midfields that can generate goal-scoring opportunities have held an advantage in later rounds, and this year might be no different.

Houston’s attacking trio of Diana Ordoñez, María Sánchez and Ebony Salmon have already been putting opponents under pressure in the early going of the regular season, and it’s possible all three will be available throughout the Cup (Salmon theoretically could still be called up to England).

The Current could find themselves heavily reliant on their non-World Cup talent, including rookie attacker Michelle Cooper and veteran midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, while hoping Morgan Gautrat and Kristen Hamilton return from injury. Racing Louisville will also rely on a growing midfield, as Jaelin Howell and Savannah McCaskill try to stake their claim as the next generation of the USWNT midfield player pool.

OL Reign and Portland will similarly turn to their stacked midfields. The Thorns boast rising U.S. talent Olivia Moultrie as an attacking midfield option, while the Reign have already gotten quality minutes from midfielder Olivia van der Jagt, who will likely combine with longtime veteran Jess Fishlock while World Cup players are away.

Outside of the hidden gems, expect the league’s top stars to show out before they leave for the international stage. Sophia Smith currently leads the regular season Golden Boot race with four goals and two assists, followed by Washington Spirit forward Ashley Hatch with three goals. Gotham winger Midge Purce has two goals and two assists as she battles for a spot on the USWNT’s World Cup squad.

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Diana Ordoñez leads a dangerous Houston Dash frontline through the Challenge Cup. (Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports)

Predictions

Challenge Cup champion

Portland Thorns over Houston Dash

The Dash have the defensive tenacity and attacking firepower to advance all the way to the Cup final. But given the length of this year’s Challenge Cup, the deepest and steadiest team should have just enough to emerge victorious.

Challenge Cup MVP

Sam Coffey, M, Portland Thorns

Midfield options will be critical throughout the Challenge Cup, and Portland’s could be the difference in the quest for the trophy and $1 million prize pool. Coffey has been growing into her role as a midfield maestro for Portland, and the team doesn’t have an obvious rotation replacement that would pull minutes from the 24-year-old.

Challenge Cup Golden Boot

Diana Ordoñez, F, Houston Dash

Ordoñez is the focal point of Houston’s front three, with the ability to score both with her feet and her head. The Dash have the potential to make one of the strongest runs during the World Cup period as the chemistry between Mexico teammates María Sánchez and Ordoñez builds with every game.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

The NWSL Challenge Cup once again will offer an increased payout.

Challenge Cup partner UKG has committed $1 million in prize money to the tournament, which will be distributed among the four teams to reach the semifinals. The tournament will run concurrently with the regular season for the first time, with the semifinals and championship match in September.

The increased prize money should mean a massive boost for players. The 2022 edition handed out $10,000 per player to the winning team, while the runners-up got $5,000 per player and the other two semifinalists got $1,500 per player.

According to UKG chief people officer Pat Wadors, the increase is part of the company’s commitment to gender pay equity.

“Change only happens if you both trigger my brain — understand there’s a gap — and then my heart, that it’s worthy of changing, (and) not paying fairly is wrong. It’s a foundational wrong,” she told The Athletic.

The $1 million figure doesn’t come from nowhere. It’s nearly the same as the $1.1 million prize pool handed out in the 2020 MLS is Back tournament.

“What I’ve been seeing so far with the National Women’s Soccer League is their intentionality of aligning themselves to partners that have similar values, interests, growth,” Wadors said. “They’re running it as a business. They’re looking at the rigor and the cadence and the goals. They’re very focused and they’re purpose-driven.

“And they’re not trying to be all things to all people. Any time you see an organization, public or private, trying to achieve too much without focus, without the rigor, that’s really hard to partner with them.”

Andi Sullivan doesn’t believe the NWSL Challenge Cup should continue in its current format, adding her voice to the growing chorus of people with criticisms of the preseason tournament.

Sullivan, along with Emily Sonnett and Trinity Rodman, sat down with teammate Kelley O’Hara for a wide-ranging discussion on The Players’ Pod ahead of the Washington Spirit’s May 4 semifinal against OL Reign.

“I think the timing and the format is not the best,” Sullivan told O’Hara. “Obviously in 2020, it was kind of like what we had to do, and I think we are forcing it a little bit to keep it around. I think it needs to be updated to either be shorter or spaced out throughout the season.”

The inaugural Challenge Cup marked the NWSL’s return to competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted in a bubble in Utah during the summer of 2020. The tournament has since evolved into a preseason fixture, and the knockout rounds coincide with the start of the regular season.

“We’re calling it a preseason tournament, but it’s also a chance to win a trophy, and I think it’s unclear what it really is,” Sullivan said. “I think it’s been very frustrating to have three games in seven days starting off the season.

“I think it needs a lot of revision.”

O’Hara agreed with Sullivan’s assessment, calling the tournament’s rigorous schedule “quite dangerous.”

The scheduling of the Spirit’s semifinal game against OL Reign drew much of the backlash. The Reign, the No. 1 seed coming out of the group stage, were forced to host the game in Washington, D.C. because Lumen Field, their home stadium in Seattle, was occupied by the Seattle Sounders. The semifinal then only moved from the 5,000-seat Segra Field to Audi Field, a 20,000-capacity stadium, when the NWSL reached an agreement with the Aspen Institute, which was hosting an all-day summit at the field that day.

The Spirit won the game to advance to the Challenge Cup final, setting them up to play three games in one week and forcing them to postpone their regular season game originally scheduled for that day.

“Now we are playing Seattle on Sunday for the regular-season opener, play them on Wednesday for the Challenge Cup semi, and then we play them again in May at Seattle, so we will be done playing Seattle three times in one month and won’t see them again for the rest of the season. I just think that is poorly planned,” Sullivan said.

The Spirit lost to the North Carolina Courage 2-1 last Saturday in a physical Challenge Cup final.

With both sides appearing fatigued after a grueling start to the season, the game featured multiple sloppy tackles that went uncalled. Toward the end of the match, Jordan Baggett appeared to lose consciousness after a hard collision, and players had to frantically call for medical staff before helping them push the stretcher onto the field.

Listen to the latest episode of The Players’ Pod for more of the Spirit players’ insights on the league.

The North Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on Saturday, but not before hard fouls and collisions caused more players to exit the preseason tournament.

Injuries on both sides overshadowed the victory, with the Courage’s Kerolin and Spirit’s Aubrey Kingsbury and Jordan Baggett all leaving the game at various points. Seconds before the Courage’s game-winning goal, Spirit defender Sam Staab went in for a tackle on Kerolin, forcing her to leave the game in the 70th minute though no foul was called on the play. Kerolin was later named the Challenge Cup final MVP and celebrated the win with her teammates.

Following the tackle, the Courage scored off of a corner kick, thanks to an own goal from the Spirit. During the play, Kingsbury crashed into the post and was evaluated by the Spirit’s training staff. Washington head coach Kris Ward said after the game that the keeper was responsive during on-field tests, which led to their decision to keep her in the game.

During stoppage time, Baggett went down hard after colliding with Courage striker Debinha. Medical personnel pushed a stretcher out onto the field, and Spirit players helped them rush the cart over to Baggett. As the midfielder was stretchered off the field, she could be seen smiling.

Baggett was taken to the hospital in an ambulance and “is under evaluation,” the team said in a statement. Spirit owner Michele Kang reportedly traveled with Baggett to the hospital.

This year’s Challenge Cup has been marred by injuries, with several high-profile stars being ruled out for the season, including Kansas City’s Lynn Williams and Orlando’s Marta. The referees have generally called tighter games, handing out over 100 yellow cards through the Challenge Cup group stage compared to 43 in the 2021 tournament. The officiating, however, has been called into question, most notably on Wednesday after a no-call on a handball helped the Spirit advance past OL Reign and to the final.

A few weeks ago, Spirit coach Kris Ward ruminated on the challenges of the preseason tournament in an interview with The Equalizer.

“How you take care of players, how you travel, how you eat, how you sleep, what type of surface you have to train in or play on — those are all things that impact the quality of the game. In my opinion, that’s how we should be looking at these things,” he said. “And so, creating a tournament up front and then putting such a dollar sign on it for the players to make it overly competitive, before maybe they’re ready for it, maybe that’s not the best thing. Maybe it is.”

On Friday, the NWSL announced a partnership with UKG that will boost the Challenge Cup’s prize money this year and in the years to come. In the postgame press conference on Saturday, Courage defender Carson Pickett called the bonuses life-changing.

“In our profession, $10,000 changes people’s lives, so I think that we have to give credit to the sponsors and to the league,” she said. “We’re finally getting somewhere. It’s nice to have a trophy, but it’s also nice to have money.”

The North Carolina Courage defeated the Washington Spirit 2-1 on Saturday to win their first NWSL Challenge Cup title.

The Courage snapped the Spirit’s 20-game win streak dating back to late August and secured their first trophy since winning the NWSL championship in 2019. With the victory, North Carolina has now won three championships overall, the most of any NWSL franchise.

Nicoli Kerolin opened up the scoring for the Courage in the 10th minute, running onto a pass from Debinha and dribbling into the middle of the 18-yard box before firing a shot past Spirit keeper Aubrey Kingsbury.

Ashley Hatch pulled the Spirit even with the Courage in the 35th minute, receiving an outside-of-the-foot pass from Trinity Rodman in the box and sending her shot off of the left crossbar and into the net.

After Kerolin left the game following a collision in the 70th minute, the Courage regained the lead off of a corner kick that resulted in an own goal.

Kerolin was named MVP of the Challenge Cup final after recording a game-high three shots on goal, including the opening tally. North Carolina signed the 22-year-old Brazilian forward to a three-year contract in January after trading longtime club staples Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams to Kansas City in the offseason.

Kingsbury, the hero of the Spirit’s semifinal win over OL Reign, nearly kept her side in the game with five saves. The Courage ultimately put enough pressure on the Spirit’s backline, outshooting them 19-9, to pull away with the win.

The Washington Spirit and North Carolina Courage are set to square off Saturday in the final of the NWSL Challenge Cup.

The Courage will host the Spirit, with the game airing live on CBS at 1 p.m. ET. Fans can also stream the match on Paramount+ and international fans can watch via Twitch.

What to look for: North Carolina Courage

North Carolina will be led by midfielder Debinha, who has scored in five straight Challenge Cup matches and six total. She is tied with Abby Wambach and Kim Little for the most consecutive NWSL games with a goal and could break that tie if she scores in the Cup final.

Saturday’s game marks the fourth time the Courage have reached the final in an NWSL competition, but just their first since winning the 2019 championship. They now are tied for the most finals appearances with Portland.

What to look for: Washington Spirit

Last season’s Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch has led the Spirit on their 20-game unbeaten streak. She is one of three players to have scored five goals in the tournament. Trinity Rodman has also been a factor, scoring four goals and adding two assists.

The Spirit are the reigning NWSL champions and haven’t lost a game since last August. They’ll put that streak on the line after advancing on a 10-round penalty kick shootout against the OL Reign in the semifinals.