Utah Royals FC Draw Washington Spirit In First Round Of Challenge Cup
Jun 1, 2020, 10:52 AM
Utah Royals FC forward Christen Press (23) celebrates after scoring a goal as the Royals and Sky Blue FC play at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The National Womens Soccer League is coming to Utah. The 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup will be hosted by Utah Royals FC beginning June 27 and ending on July 26. It will be the first time the league returns to the pitch following the 2019 Championship game.
All teams will be segregated to their own housing and living arrangements, family members will be allowed to join. No spectators will be in attendance for any of the games.
The NWSL Challenge Cup Tournament Draw
The @UtahRoyalsFC get the number 4 slot for the @NWSL #ChallengeCup pic.twitter.com/Sj2heBryXg
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) June 1, 2020
During a tournament draw hosted by the NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird, the teams were randomly selected and seeded.
- Chicago Red Stars
- Washington Spirit
- Houston Dash
- Utah Royals FC
- North Carolina Courage
- New Jersey Sky Blue
- Portland Thorns
- OL Reign
- Orlando Pride
Preliminary round schedule for the #NWSL Challenge Cup! Which match are you most excited for! Let us know in the replies! pic.twitter.com/nOjIikSSrc
— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) June 1, 2020
First Of Four Preliminary Games Set
The first round of the preliminary games has been announced and will take place over three days, June 27, June 30, and July 1.
Utah Royals FC will play Washington Spirit during the second day of matches. The Royals and Spirit will face off on Tuesday, June 30th.
Each team will play four preliminary-round games, the remaining three games for the Utah Royals will be announced at a later date. The top four teams from the preliminary stages will advance to the knockout stage.
The Washington Spirit finished the 2019 season in fifth place, one spot short of making the playoffs. The Spirit and Royals were both tied on 34 points following the conclusion of the 2019 NWSL regular season, however, the Spirit has a +5 goal differential compared to the Royals 0.
The opening game of the Challenge Cup for the Royals is expected to be a nailbiter.
Pitch perfect pic.twitter.com/7M61bU8wsB
— Utah Royals FC (@UtahRoyalsFC) May 31, 2020
How To Watch
The opening game and the final will be broadcast on CBS. All other games will be live on CBS All Access, with replays airing on CBS Sports Network.
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Tom Hackett is a Utah and Real Salt Lake Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the It’s Utah’s World Podcast (Utah Football themed) and The Lion’s Den Podcast (Real Salt Lake themed). Follow him on Twitter: @TomCantHackett.
