A team-by-team preview of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup
With the USL and MLS not scheduled to return until July, the NWSL will take center stage this weekend with its 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah. 2020 won’t feature a normal season for the league, but the action will kick off their competition on June 27th.
For those who are new to the league or didn’t follow along with the various roster moves this offseason, here is your official BGN preview of each club for this summer’s tournament. (Note: Orlando Pride withdrew from the tournament due to players and staff testing positive for COVID-19, making this an eight-team tournament. An article later today will cover the adjusted schedule and the tournament rules)
Chicago Red Stars
2019 results
Regular Season: 2nd place
Playoffs: Lost in final, 0-4 vs. North Carolina
2019 by the numbers
14-8-2 (7-4-1, home and away), 41 goals scored, 28 goals conceded, 50% avg. possession, nine clean sheets, 72% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Mackenzie Arnold, Brooke Elby, AJ Jahansouz, Sam Kerr, Katie Naughton, Maria Sanchez, and Nikki Stanton
Players to watch this summer
Yuki Nagasato: When you lead the league in any significant category, you have more than earned the title of Player to Watch. When you add in eight goals to her league-leading eight assists, Nagasato was top ten in both stats last season.
Casey Short: For her hometown side, Short is a two-time All-NWSL first-team defender. Last season, she made 48 clearances, 17 key passes, and added three assists and two goals. She also narrowly missed the cut for the 2019 USWNT World Cup roster.
Julie Ertz: When she wasn’t winning the World Cup last summer, Ertz was controlling the midfield for Chicago before moving to defense late in the season. She started 16 matches and had 64 clearances while attempting 48.5 passes per 90 minutes.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Alyssa Mautz (injured)
Rundown
Last season, Chicago had the league’s all-time top goalscorer (and 2019 goals leader) in Sam Kerr and top playmaker in Yuki Nagasato and won five straight matches heading into the postseason. Unfortunately for the Red Stars, they were handily defeated in the NWSL Championship final and Kerr left for Chelsea in the offseason. But, they bring back Nagasato and added Kealia Ohai (now Kealia Watt), Rachel Hill, and Makenzy Doniak to try and make up for some of Kerr’s lost production.
Behind the attack, Julie Ertz and Casey Short are back along with last year’s #1 overall draft pick, and second-team goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is back between the sticks.
Houston Dash
2019 Results
Regular Season: 7th place
Playoffs: N/A
2019 by the numbers
7-12-5 (one more win away than home), 21 goals scored, 36 goals conceded, 48% avg. possession, six clean sheets, 73% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Lindsey Agnew, Betsy Brandon, Amber Brooks, Ari Calderon, Ally Haran, Bianca Henninger, Sofia Huerta, Jazmin Jackmon, Devon Kerr, Satara Murray, Ari Romero, Clare Polkinghorne, Kyah Simon, and Kealia (Ohai) Watt.
Players to watch this summer
Rachel Daly: The Houston forward scored five goals in 17 matches last season, missing time due to representing England in the World Cup. Fully rested after a long offseason, she will look to get closer to her ten goals of 2018 with her ability to run in behind defenses and let shots go from distance with either foot. The Dash’s offseason acquisitions of Katie Stengel from Utah and Shea Groom from the Reign could provide Daly with potent strike partners.
"They have yet to concede a goal this season."
…@RachelDaly3 has entered the chat 😏 pic.twitter.com/3WY9Nqo4LD
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) April 18, 2020
Kristie Mewis: She battled back from a knee injury in May 2018 to play a key role in the Dash midfield last season, starting 20 matches. Mewis made 27 key passes, scored four goals, and connected on more than 70% of her passes. Her 2019 NWSL performances earned her a USWNT call-up in December, six years after her last camp with the national team.
Megan Oyster: Traded to Houston in the offseason, Oyster will look to carry over her 2019 form when she had 82 clearances and 36 interceptions in 20 starts for Reign FC. The centerback has two caps with the USWNT and could be the difference make for Dash’s defense.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Satara Murray (waived)
Rundown
Last season was James Clarkson’s first in charge after leading the Houston Dynamo Academy since its inception in 2007. Despite only winning one of their final seven matches, the Dash were starting to show progress under their new manager with some spirited performances on the road against perennial powers Portland and North Carolina.
2020 will be something of a new era for the Dash. After an offseason of big moves, they have zero players from the inaugural 2014 roster. While they may not have a lot of tenured players, the Dash roster does have a lot of experienced, talented depth, a luxury the club has rarely had in its six seasons. The additions of center-backs Oyster and Katie Naughton along with former West Ham United full-back Erin Simon should tighten up their defense this summer.
North Carolina Courage
2019 results
Regular Season: 1st place (3rd straight NWSL Shield)
Playoffs: Won the title (Back-to-back champions), 4-0 vs. Chicago
2019 by the numbers
15-5-4 (unbeaten at home in 12 matches), 54 goals scored (new league record), 23 goals conceded, 55% avg. possession, ten clean sheets, 77% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Leah Pruitt, Heather O’Reilly, Julia Spetsmark, and McCall Zerboni.
Players to watch this summer
Lynn Williams: She finished as the league’s second-leading scorer last season with 12 goals and added six assists. With the departure of NWSL all-time scoring leader Sam Kerr last fall, Williams is now the league’s active scoring leader with 50 goals in 100 regular-season games. Williams also led the league in shots and will definitely be the focal point of the attack again this summer. Her 2019 NWSL performance earned her a recall to the USWNT under new head coach Vlatko Andonovski, and she’s score 5 goals in 9 appearances since November.
Crystal Dunn: In limited action last season due to the World Cup, Dunn was still a star for North Carolina. Playing in an outside midfield role, she scored seven goals and had four assists in just 13 regular season matches. Her versatility is a huge benefit and could factor in if she needed at right-back in the tournament.
Debinha: The reigning NWSL Championship Game MVP scored two game-winning goals in the postseason. That playoff run was a continuation of a massive regular season when she tallied a jaw-dropping 51 key passes with eight goals and seven assists. She also started all four games for Brazil at the 2019 World Cup in France.
WOW@Debinha restores the lead to @TheNCCourage with a sheer piece of magic.
2-1 | #NCvSEA pic.twitter.com/p6hiy4b4NF
— NWSL (@NWSL) October 20, 2019
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Merritt Mathias (D45)
Rundown
Nobody should be surprised that the Courage are considered favorites to win this competition after taking the last two NWSL titles and with their 2-0-1 all-time record in the Utah altitude. They scored the most goals in the NWSL last season and conceded the fewest. The only question for their lineup is who steps in for outside back Merritt Mathias as she remains on the the injured list.
They have stars at both ends of the pitch with players like Williams, Dunn, Dahlkemper, Debinha, and Abby Erceg. With the ability to press the action going forward while staying stout defensively, North Carolina will again be tough to defeat this summer, especially with all four of their USWNT stars are “opting in” for this tourney – Dahlkemper, Jessica McDonald, Samantha Mewis and, of course, Dunn.
OL Reign (Rebranded from Reign FC this year after purchase by OL Groupe)
2019 results
Regular Season: 4th place
Playoffs: Lost in semifinals, 1-4 a.e.t. vs. North Carolina
2019 by the numbers
10-6-8, 27 goals scored, 27 goals conceded, 50% avg. possession, seven clean sheets, 72% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Steph Catley, Schuyler DeBree (on leave), Shea Groom, Jaycie Johnson, Theresa Nielsen, Ifeoma Onumonu, Megan Oyster, Morgan Proffitt (retired), Sammy Jo Prudhomme (retired), Addison Steiner, Rumi Utsugi, Scout Watson, Christen Westphal, Lydia Williams, and Bev Yanez (retired).
Players to watch this summer
Bethany Balcer: The 2019 Rookie of the Year finished the regular season with six goals and two assists. She was also able to draw 17 fouls and made 27 key passes. She became the first undrafted player to win the Rookie of the Year award in league history.
Casey Murphy: She stepped up last season in goal due to injury and established herself as a supreme shot-stopper. In 19 regular season matches, she recorded six clean sheets and 73 saves, good for third-most in the NWSL. During the club’s semifinal matchup vs. eventual champions NC Courage, Murphy saved 11 shots in Reign’s defeat, setting an NWSL record for saves in a playoff match.
Jessica Fishlock: The all-time cap leader for Wales, Fishlock returned from a loan spell at Lyon last June and was on fire for the Reign before a knee injury abruptly ended her season. She scored in all three matches she played and added an assist. The return of 2019 Champions League winner to the starting lineup is a big reason OL Reign will be tough to beat in Utah.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Julia Ashley (D45), Leah Pruitt (recently acquired, D45), Megan Rapinoe (elected not to play)
Rundown
OL Reign will have the look of a brand-new club with their logo, branding, and color scheme. But, despite the long list of players that left above, the core of the team won’t look too different from 2019 when the Challenge Cup gets underway. Without Megan Rapinoe, who has reportedly opted out of the tournament, Balcer and Fishlock along with Sofia Huerta (acquired from Houston) will be expected to provide a lot of the scoring. NWSL all-time minutes leader Lauren Barnes returns for her 8th season with the club and will provide stability in central defense
One of the biggest changes is on the touchline as Farid Benstiti begins his NWSL managerial journey. He spent nearly ten years at OL Lyon before stops with the Russian national team, PSG, and most recently with Dalian Quanjian in China. Another crucial addition will be Alana Cook as the center-back arrives on loan from PSG for the summer. She earned her first USWNT cap last fall.
Portland Thorns
2019 results
Regular Season: 3rd place
Playoffs: Lost in semifinals, 0-1 vs. Chicago
2019 by the numbers
11-6-7 (7-2-3 at home with league’s best attendance), 40 goals scored, 31 goals conceded, 50% avg. possession, eight clean sheets, 70% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Andressinha, Dagny Brynjarsdottir, Ellie Carpenter, Ana Crnogorcevic, Elizabeth Ball, Caitlin Foord, Midge Purce, Hayley Raso, and Emily Sonnett.
Players to watch this summer
Christine Sinclair: She has scored the most international goals of all time, male or female. In the NWSL, the legendary Canadian striker has scored 26 goals in the last three regular seasons, more than any other player except North Carolina’s Lynn Williams. She’s the glue that holds an oft-changing Portland squad together and is one of just six players in the league who’ve played every season with the same club.
Becky Sauerbrunn: The too-many-times-to-count NWSL Defender of the Year was traded to the Thorns this spring so she could play in her adopted hometown. Last season, she connected on a league-high 87.6% of her passes and made 76 clearances for Utah. Her calm presence on the backline and vast international experience is just what the Thorns need after conceding more goals in 2019 than they had since the 2014 season.
Sophia Smith: Portland traded Emily Sonnet to get the opportunity to draft Smith with the first selection of the 2020 NWSL College Draft. Considered one of the future stars for the USWNT, she scored 24 goals and added 11 assists in just two years at Stanford. This summer, she will be the only teenager participating in the tournament. Just signed a three-year with the club.
Notable players not on the tournament roster: Tobin Heath (elected not to play)
Rundown
One of the perennial powers in the league, there is no reason to believe that Portland will not be right in the mix to win the Challenge Cup. Already having Sinclair as well as World Cup champs Lindsey Horan, Tobin Heath, Adrianna Franch and Meghan Klingenberg (2015), they made a bold move to trade an established defender for a potential star in Smith. They also traded to get the #2 overall spot in the 2020 draft, nabbing striker Morgan Weaver, who led Washington State to its first-ever College Cup appearance last fall.
On the backend, adding Sauerbrunn should help a defense that allowed the fourth-most goals in the league, including six in a 6-0 loss to their opening opponent North Carolina. The only question for the Thorns will be how well they adapt to all of the off-season roster changes.
Sky Blue FC
2019 results
Regular Season: 8th place
Playoffs: N/A
2019 by the numbers
5-14-5 (one more win away than home), 20 goals scored, 34 goals conceded, 45% avg. possession, three clean sheets, 73% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Julie James Doyle (on leave), Jen Hoy (retired), Amandine Pierre-Louis, Rocky Rodriguez
Players to watch this summer
McCall Zerboni: A 2018 NWSL MVP finalist, McCall arrived via trade in the offseason. The seven-year veteran made 49 interceptions, completed 79.7% of her passes, and had six successful crosses last season. She’s also the league’s all-time leader in fouls committed.
Midge Purce: Another significant trade acquisition in the offseason, Purce will look to bring her 2019 goalscoring prowess to the lowest scoring side of last season. She scored eight goals last season for Portland, including four during a three-match span.
Kailen Sheridan: The Canadian keeper has led the league in saves the past two seasons (tied with Aubrey Bledsoe both years) and finished 2019 with three clean sheets. She’s a strong and vocal leader, and arguably the next in line to take over Canada’s starting goalkeeper role.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Caprice Dydasco (D45), Carli Lloyd (D45), Mallory Pugh (D45)
Rundown
Last season was the sixth-straight NWSL campaign that ended without Sky Blue FC earning a playoff berth. With their past struggles on the pitch and turmoil off of it, the club made several big roster moves this off-season, including trading away four draft picks to acquire young USWNT star, Mallory Pugh.
Coach Freya Coombe got the “interim” tag removed from her title during the off-season and has signed three of her 2020 draftees — Canadian Evelyne Viens plus Amanda McGlynn and Kaleigh Riehl.
The club will be missing a trio of key players due to injury with Dydasco, Lloyd, and Pugh all out for the Challenge Cup.
Utah Royals FC
2019 results
Regular Season: 6th place
Playoffs: N/A
2019 by the numbers
10-10-4 (7-4-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium), 25 goals scored, 25 goals conceded, 53% avg. possession, ten clean sheets, 78% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
Makenzy Doniak, Mandy Laddish (retired), Sydney Miramontz (retired), Becca Moros, Becky Sauerbrunn, Katie Stengel, and Erika Tymrak (retired).
Players to watch this summer
Amy Rodriguez: After a knee injury limited her impact in 2017 and 2018, A-Rod scored nine goals for Utah last season. Presumably, without Christen Press in the Challenge Cup, Rodriguez will be relied on heavily to carry the attack. Watch for her to combine with legendary Spain midfielder Veronica “Vero” Boquete.
Desiree Scott: Very few players can control a midfield like Scott, nicknamed The Destroyer. The Canadian star is an aggressive, physical midfielder and also completed 85.9% of her 764 passes last season. Her leadership will be crucial for the Royals with the departure of center-back Becky Sauerbrunn.
Kelley O’Hara: The USWNT defender didn’t play much last year for Utah due to the World Cup and a subsequent injury. She’s rested and fully recovered now and can bolster both the defense and the attack.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: Christen Press (elected not to play)
Rundown
The departure of Laura Harvey in early January, to take on the role of USWNT U-20 head coach, led to an extensive search for a new Royals head coach. The club selected Englishman Craig Harrington, who spent the previous two seasons with the Chicago Red Stars.
Several young players have been added to the roster, including first-round draft pick Tziarra King out of NC State and Aminata Diallo, the French national team midfielder on loan from PSG, who is due to arrive in Utah this week. There were reports that the club was about to sign German midfielder Dszenifer Maroszan and French goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi before the Covid-19 shutdown, but now both players seem likely to stay at OL Lyon.
It’s clear that Utah is intent on becoming a top-tier club. They’ve already seen success in the stands, becoming the first NWSL club other than Portland to average more than 10,000 fans per game in one season. But the assumed absence of Press for the tourney and the challenge of being a team in transition may delay their quest for glory a little longer.
Washington Spirit
2019 results
Regular Season: 5th place
Playoffs: N/A
2019 by the numbers
9-8-7, 30 goals scored, 25 goals conceded, 54% avg. possession, ten clean sheets, 79% passing accuracy
Players that departed in the offseason
McKenzie Berryhill, Megan Crosson, Cali Farquharson, Amy Harrison, Elise Kellond-Knight, Chloe Logarzo, Mallory Pugh, Arielle Ship, and Shae Yanez.
Players to watch this summer
Ashley Hatch: The 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year led the Spirit in scoring the last two seasons. With the BYU alum returning to Utah, she will play a key role up top this summer. In addition to scoring goals, Hatch isn’t afraid to get physical off the ball, finishing in the top-three in the league for fouls committed in 2019.
Ashley Sanchez: A top-five draft pick that left UCLA early to join the NWSL, Sanchez joins the Spirit after breaking career and season assist records at UCLA. She’s long been a part of the US youth national program and earned a first-team call-up in December.
Rose Lavelle: The fan-favorite and rising star of the USWNT, who earned the Bronze Ball last summer in France, Lavelle is a gamechanger when she’s on the ball. In just six matches last season, she recorded ten key passes and an assist. No longer struggling with injuries, she will be the centerpiece of the Spirit’s attack.
Notable players not participating in the tournament: None
Rundown
Washington boasts one of the most promising young squads in the league. Captain Andi Sullivan, at just 24 years old, plays like a seasoned veteran. With standouts like Hatch, Sanchez, Lavelle, plus second-year players Sam Staab, Dorian Bailey, and Jordan DiBiasi, they should be fun to watch this summer as second-year head coach Ritchie Burke puts his stamp on this team.
Tori Huster, one of just seven players in the league to spend every season with the same club, and 2019 Goalkeeper of the Year Aubrey Bledsoe will help lead this dynamic group.
