NWSL: The 2020 Challenge Cup Preview

Sky Blue FC

Coming off an abysmal 2019, Sky Blue FC is looking for any positives to take away from the competition and into next year’s NWSL season. They take on the OL Reign, Utah Royals, Houston Dash and the North Carolina Courage before the knockout rounds. SBFC was already set to take on Houston and Reign, but the addition of the champion Courage does not make the road any easier.

Under a normal 2020 NWSL season, Sky Blue was set to make leaps and bounds in the NWSL with recent signings, but the shortened competition will not give them that opportunity. Under general manager Alyse LaHue, the club is constructing a team that will compete for playoff spots in due time. The offseason signings included Mallory Pugh, Margaret Purce and McCall Zerboni, all of which have appeared for the USWNT at some time.

Pugh, though, will not be reporting to the tournament due to a right hip injury and veteran Carli Lloyd will miss the competition due to a left knee injury as reported by the club. Sky Blue is building something and fans would have had the chance to see that in a full season, but this competition is going to push that back a little bit longer.

Portland Thorns

The Portland Thorns went from one of the harder draws in the league to the hardest draw in the league. They will play the Courage, Chicago Red Stars, Washington Spirit and OL Reign, the same teams the Utah Royals were set to play before the change.

This offseason was a busy one for the Thorns. The club lost Emily Sonnett, Margaret Purce and recently Ellie Carpenter to Olympique Lyonnais among other transfers. However, Portland was able to pick up two exciting prospects: Sophia Smith and Morgan Weaver with the first two picks of the 2020 NWSL draft, both of which have spent time with the USWNT at the youth level.

Portland will be without USWNT star Tobin Heath who has opted out of the tournament, but Canadian legend Christine Sinclair will travel to Utah. The Rose City has grown used to championships, but this busy offseason combined with a short time to get used to one another may push back the silverware another year.

OL Reign

OL Reign’s four-game slate is very similar to what the team had before the schedule change. Their only change is to play the Houston Dash instead of the Washington Spirit. Their other three opponents are Sky Blue FC, the Utah Royals and the Portland Thorns.

Reign surprised the NWSL by making the playoffs in 2019 after enduring several season-ending injuries. Leading the way for the club was rookie Bethany Balcer who won the 2019 Rookie of the Year award with six goals and she will be reporting to Utah. Joining her is Jess Fishlock who scored three goals and earned an assist in five games before an injury ended her season. She is back to fitness now and will also travel to Utah with the club.

They will, however, be without USWNT star Megan Rapinoe who opted out of the tournament. After their surprise playoff appearance last year, Reign will be looking to take the next step and challenge for true silverware this time around.