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The 2020
NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup, currently known as the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tournament organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-tier women's league in the United States soccer league system. Th ...
was a tournament during the
2020 National Women's Soccer League season The 2020 National Women's Soccer League season was the eighth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2 ...
to mark the league's return to action from the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. It was the first professional team sports event to return to play in United States. Originally planned as a one-off tournament, the NWSL announced that the
Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involve ...
would return in the
2021 NWSL season The 2021 National Women's Soccer League season was the ninth season of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. Including the NWSL's two professional predecessors, Women's Professional Soccer (2 ...
as a league cup competition.


Format

The Challenge Cup was originally planned as a 25-game tournament featuring all nine NWSL clubs. However, on June 22, the
Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to th ...
withdrew following six positive COVID-19 tests among players and four more among non-playing staff. On June 23, the NWSL released the revised schedule of an 8-team, 23-game tournament. On June 22, the NWSL announced the full rules and regulations for the tournament. Each team would play four games in a preliminary round, with eight teams advancing to a single-elimination knockout bracket. Teams would be ranked by points in the preliminary round, with three points for a win and one for a draw, and the rankings used to determine seeding in the knockout bracket.


Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

To lessen the
impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
of fixture congestion caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, NWSL clubs were permitted to roster up to 28 players (a temporary increase by two), to have the full roster available for substitutions during a game, and to make up to five substitutions in accordance with temporary rules and regulations from the
International Football Association Board The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football. IFAB was founded in 1886 to agree standardised Laws for international competition, and has since acted as the "guardia ...
. There would be no extra time; any games in the knockout round that were tied after regulation would go straight to a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
. Final tournament rosters had to be submitted by June 21. In order to hold the tournament as safely as possible, all games were held behind closed doors in two stadiums near
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
,
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
. All teams were quarantined during the entirety of the tournament in a so-called "NWSL village" with all housing provided by
Dell Loy Hansen Dell Loy Hansen (born ) is an American businessman and sports team owner. He is the founder and CEO of Wasatch Group, a real estate investment firm, and was the owner of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Career Hansen was born in Salina, ...
, owner of
Utah Royals FC Utah Royals FC was an American women's professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah. Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion club, the Royals played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2018 ...
. All players, officials, and essential staff members were tested for the coronavirus 48 hours before departure for Utah and remained subject to regular testing, temperature reading, and symptom review throughout the tournament.


Squads

NWSL teams were required to submit finalized rosters to participate in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on June 21. Roster sizes were required to be a minimum of 22 players and maximum of 28 players (24 senior players + 4 supplemental players) and contain at least three goalkeepers. Only players listed on that final roster are permitted to participate in the tournament. International players already under contract by NWSL teams but not participating in the tournament do not count towards the roster limit. Furthermore, teams could sign a maximum of 4 players they had the rights to but were not yet under contract to short-term contracts lasting the duration of the tournament. Short-term loans from teams outside the NWSL were also permissible. Player participation for the tournament was optional. The league allowed players to opt out without being in breach of contract, keeping all contracts, housing, insurance and other benefits guaranteed regardless of participation in the tournament. Squads were announced on June 23.
OL Reign OL Reign is an American professional women's soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded by Bill and Teresa Predmore in 2012 as Seattle Reign FC, it was one of eight inaugural members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). In 2020, ...
announced that United States international
Megan Rapinoe Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger and captains OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the United States ...
had decided to opt out, while
Julia Ashley Julia Ashley (born November 11, 1996) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for Adelaide United and Linköpings FC, as well as collegiately fo ...
and Leah Pruitt were unavailable due to long-term injuries. Two more U.S. internationals,
Tobin Heath Tobin Powell Heath (born May 29, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL, as well as the United States national team. Heath has been described as "perhaps the USA's most skillful player" ...
(
Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...
) and
Christen Press Christen Annemarie Press (born December 29, 1988) is an American soccer player for Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She first appeared for the United States national team during an ...
(
Utah Royals FC Utah Royals FC was an American women's professional soccer club based in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, Utah. Established on November 16, 2017, as an expansion club, the Royals played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) from 2018 ...
), announced their decisions to opt out.
Sky Blue FC NJ/NY Gotham FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Harrison, New Jersey. Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2013 ...
omitted U.S. internationals
Carli Lloyd Carli Anne Hollins (; born July 16, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008 and 2012), two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion (2015 and 2019), two-time FIFA Player of the Year ...
and
Mallory Pugh Mallory Diane Swanson (; born April 29, 1998) is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United State ...
, as well as
Caprice Dydasco Caprice Ka'anohikula Dydasco (born August 19, 1993) is an American soccer defender who plays as an right back for the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She previously played for Pali Blues, the Washington Spirit, and Newcastl ...
, all recovering from injuries.
Merritt Mathias Merritt Elizabeth Mathias (born July 2, 1990) is an American soccer forward currently playing for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Kansas City and Seattle Reign FC. Early life Born in Bir ...
was unavailable due to a long-term injury for the
North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York F ...
, while
Chicago Red Stars The Chicago Red Stars are a professional women's soccer club based in Bridgeview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league, they have played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) sin ...
were missing Alyssa Mautz and Arin Wright due to a long-term injury and maternity leave respectively. All of the remaining teams — including the
Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to th ...
, who withdrew from the tournament — named their full rosters.


Preliminary round


Draw

The draw for the preliminary round was held on June 1, 2020, 12:00 ET, and streamed live on CBS Sports HQ. The nine NWSL teams were drawn randomly into nine slots, which determined each team's four-game schedule for the preliminary round. After the draw concluded, the NWSL released the full schedule of the preliminary round to be played at
Zions Bank Stadium Zions Bank Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Herriman, Utah, United States, with a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium is home to Real Monarchs, a MLS Next Pro team affiliated with Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer, and the Utah Warr ...
. The
Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride is a professional women's soccer team based in Orlando, Florida. The team joined the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of women's soccer in the US, for the 2016 season. It became the tenth team to be added to th ...
withdrew from the tournament on June 22, 2020, after receiving multiple positive COVID-19 test results among the team's players and staff. One day later, the NWSL accordingly released a revised tournament schedule.


Standings


Tiebreakers

The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings is most points earned, with three points earned for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams are equal on points after completion of the preliminary round, the following criteria shall be applied to determine team rankings: # Head-to-Head (only if two teams are tied and they've played each other). # Superior goal difference in all preliminary matches. # Greatest number of goals scored in all preliminary matches. # Lowest team conduct score relating to the number of yellow and red cards obtained, where only one of the below point totals shall be applied to a player in a single match: ## yellow card: 1 point; ## indirect red card (as a result of two yellow cards): 3 points; ## direct red card: 4 points; ## yellow card and direct red card: 5 points. # Drawing of lots by the NWSL.


Schedule

''All game times are listed in MDT.''


Matchday 1

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Matchday 2

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Matchday 3

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Matchday 4

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Matchday 5

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Matchday 6

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Matchday 7

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Matchday 8

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Knockout round

In the knockout round, if a game was level at the end of 90 minutes of normal playing time, there would be no
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
and the winners would be determined by a
penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...
.


Bracket

''All game times are listed in MDT.''


Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals

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Championship


Statistics


Goalscorers


Assists


Discipline

A player would be automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences: * Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences); * Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the quarter-finals; * Direct red card suspensions are carried forward to future NWSL regular season matches, but indirect red card suspensions will not be carried forward to any future matches. No suspensions were served during the tournament.


Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: The MVP (most outstanding player as voted by the media and sponsored by
Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...
), Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Glove (best goalkeeper as voted by the media and sponsored by
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
), NWSL Future Legend (the top-performing player in their first season with the NWSL), and Best XI (the best 11-players as voted by the players, media, fans, and GMs/coaches, and presented by
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
).


Best XI


Fan-voted awards

* Play of the Tournament:
Lindsey Horan Lindsey Michelle Horan (born May 26, 1994) is an American professional soccer player for Olympique Lyonnais Féminin on loan from Portland Thorns FC. She previously played for the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), ...
, POR * Save of the Tournament:
Britt Eckerstrom Britt Ellen Eckerstrom (born May 28, 1993) is a retired American soccer player who played as a goalkeeper for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for the Western New York Flash. Club career Pe ...
, POR


Broadcasting

In accordance with the broadcast deals signed by the NWSL at the start of the 2020 season, both the tournament opener and final aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. All other games were broadcast live on the
CBS All Access Paramount+ is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Me ...
subscription service in the U.S. and Canada and re-aired on
CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known as ...
. International fans were able to stream the full tournament on
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
2020 in American soccer leagues 2020 National Women's Soccer League season
NWSL The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federatio ...
NWSL Challenge