Tonight: The NWSL Challenge Cup kicks off

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup kicks off tonight with a rematch of last year’s title game between the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars.

Tournament details:

• Dates: April 9th — May 8th
• Format: Round-robin group stage followed by a Championship game between each division’s top teams.
• West division: Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, OL Reign, Portland.
• East division: Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue), North Carolina, Orlando, Louisville, Washington.

Teams we’ll have our eyes on: 

• Portland: They’ll be without their USWNT stars for the opening weekend, but they enter the season as the prohibitive favorites.
• North Carolina: For the first time in a while, they look beatable. And yet, any squad featuring Lynn Williams, Debinha and Jess McDonald can’t be counted out.
• Louisville: The NWSL’s newest club could have a rocky first year on the field. Off the field, they’re already crushing the brand messaging. That’s half the battle at this stage!

Tonight: 

• Houston vs Chicago: 8:30pm ET on CBSSN
• Portland vs Kansas City: 10:30pm ET on Paramount+

Tomorrow:

• North Carolina vs Washington: 3:30pm ET on Paramount+
• Louisville vs Orlando: 7:00pm ET on Paramount+

Note: all games stream internationally on Twitch.

Get prepped with our very own Haley Kopmeyer’s list of 12 players she’ll be watching for this season.