Chicago Red Stars Vs Sky Blue FC: 3 things we learned
1. Handling the fatigue
Entering the NWSL Challenge Cup Final, the Chicago Red Stars must deal with two challenges. The first is the Houston Dash, who will be no easy out. The second opponent is fatigue. And the latter is not something you can really defeat.
As has been the case throughout the tournament, the Red Stars started the match on the front foot. They were aggressive, pressed high, and were full of energy. But after the fast start, they start to ease off the gas. We saw that with the Julie Ertz own-goal, a mistake that can only really be attributed to her misjudging a ball due to fatigue.
Like Houston, Chicago has played a massive number of games in a short space of time, all while dealing with living in a bubble during a global pandemic. It is taxing on the body and mind.
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With the final on the horizon, then, the Red Stars, who looked gassed at the end of their semi-final, will have to muster up the energy for one more push. If they can overcome fatigue, they might just be the favorites to dismiss the Dash too.