2021 NWSL Challenge Cup

Last updated

2021 NWSL Challenge Cup
2021 National Women's Soccer League Challenge Cup presented by Secret Deodorant
2021 NWSL Challenge Cup logo.png
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
DatesApril 9 – May 8
Teams10
Defending champions Houston Dash
Final positions
Champions Portland Thorns FC (1st title)
Runner-up NJ/NY Gotham FC
Tournament statistics
Matches played21
Goals scored48 (2.29 per match)
Top goal scorer(s) Debinha
(3 goals)
MVP Debinha
←  2020
2022  →

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup was a league cup tournament that took place during the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season. [1] It began on April 9 and ended May 8, one week before the start of the regular season. [2] It was the second iteration of the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament, which had started in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was announced as a regular event later in 2020. [3] Portland Thorns FC won the 2021 final over NJ/NY Gotham FC in a penalty shootout. [4]

Contents

Format

While the inaugural Challenge Cup took place entirely in a single "bubble" location during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Challenge Cup was played in home markets. [2] The 10 NWSL teams were organized into two regional divisions of five teams each. [5] Every team played four games within their division, with the two division winners competing in the final on May 8. [5]

The full schedule was released on March 9, 2021, [6] along with tournament rules and regulations. [7]

Tiebreakers

The initial determining factor for a team's position in the standings was 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 were equal on points after completion of the preliminary round, the following criteria were applied to determine team rankings: [8]

  1. Superior goal difference in all divisional matches.
  2. Greatest number of goals scored in all divisional matches.
  3. 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:
    1. yellow card: 1 point;
    2. indirect red card (as a result of two yellow cards): 3 points;
    3. direct red card: 4 points;
    4. yellow card and direct red card: 5 points.
  4. Drawing of lots by the NWSL.

Final

The final was hosted by the team with the best record across both divisions. The final was 90 minutes; in the event it was tied, teams would proceed directly to a penalty shootout with no overtime periods.

East Division

Standings

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 NJ/NY Gotham FC 422053+28Qualification for the Championship
2 North Carolina Courage 421198+17
3 Orlando Pride 41213305
4 Washington Spirit 411234−14
5 Racing Louisville FC 402246−22
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Games

North Carolina Courage 3–2 Washington Spirit
Report
Sahlen's Stadium , Cary, North Carolina
Attendance: 2,300
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
Racing Louisville FC 2–2 Orlando Pride
Report
Lynn Family Stadium , Louisville, Kentucky
Attendance: 5,300
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Orlando Pride 0–1 NJ/NY Gotham FC
Report
Exploria Stadium , Orlando, Florida
Referee: Natalie Simon
Washington Spirit 1–0 Racing Louisville FC
Report
Audi Field , Washington, D.C.
Referee: Danielle Chesky
NJ/NY Gotham FC 4–3 North Carolina Courage
Report
MSU Soccer Park , Montclair, New Jersey
Referee: Laura Rodriguez
Orlando Pride 1–0 Washington Spirit
Report
Exploria Stadium , Orlando, Florida
Referee: Alexandra Billeter
Racing Louisville FC 2–3 North Carolina Courage
Report
Lynn Family Stadium , Louisville, Kentucky
Attendance: 3,742
Referee: Tori Penso
Washington Spirit 0–0 NJ/NY Gotham FC
Report
Audi Field , Washington, D.C.
Attendance: 2,039
Referee: Karen Callado
North Carolina Courage 0–0 Orlando Pride
Report
Sahlen's Stadium , Cary, North Carolina
Attendance: 2,426
Referee: Katja Koroleva
NJ/NY Gotham FC 0–0 Racing Louisville FC
Report
MSU Soccer Park , Montclair, New Jersey
Referee: Karen Abt

West Division

Standings

PosTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Portland Thorns FC 431062+410Qualification for the Championship
2 OL Reign 42115507
3 Houston Dash 413042+26
4 Chicago Red Stars 402235−22
5 Kansas City 401348−41
Source: NWSL
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Games

Houston Dash 0–0 Chicago Red Stars
Report
BBVA Stadium , Houston, Texas
Attendance: 4,204
Referee: Tori Penso
Portland Thorns FC 2–1 Kansas City
Report
Providence Park , Portland, Oregon
Referee: Danielle Chesky
Chicago Red Stars 0–1 Portland Thorns FC
Report
SeatGeek Stadium , Bridgeview, Illinois
Referee: Karen Callado
OL Reign 0–0 Houston Dash
Report
Cheney Stadium , Tacoma, Washington
Referee: Katja Koroleva
Portland Thorns FC 2–0 OL Reign
Report
Providence Park , Portland, Oregon
Referee: Karen Abt
Kansas City 1–3 Houston Dash
Report
Children's Mercy Park , Kansas City, Kansas
Referee: Alyssa Nichols
OL Reign 3–2 Chicago Red Stars
Huerta Soccerball shade.svg41'
Pruitt Soccerball shade.svg70'
King Soccerball shade.svg87'		 Report Pugh Soccerball shade.svg38'
Gautrat Soccerball shade.svg90'
Cheney Stadium , Tacoma, Washington
Attendance: 1,105
Referee: Laura Rodriguez
Houston Dash 1–1 Portland Thorns FC
Report
BBVA Stadium , Houston, Texas
Attendance: 3,162
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
Kansas City 1–2 OL Reign
Report
Field of Legends , Kansas City, Kansas
Referee: Karen Callado

Championship

Portland Thorns FC won the right to host the final by finishing with the best record across both divisions. [9] The game finished in a 1-1 draw after the regulation 90 minutes, so it proceeded to a penalty shootout. Each team missed one penalty kick during the first five rounds, both hitting a shot off the crossbar. In the seventh round, Gotham FC, shooting first, had a shot saved by Portland goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, and Morgan Weaver converted Portland's try to win the tournament.

Portland Thorns FC 1–1 NJ/NY Gotham FC
Report
Penalties
6–5
Providence Park , Portland, Oregon
Referee: Natalie Simon

Statistics

Goalscorers

Statistics do not include penalty-shootout goals.There were 48 goals scored in 21 matches, for an average of 2.29 goals per match.

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: NWSL

Discipline

A player would be automatically suspended for the next match in the tournament for the following offenses: [7]

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player / CoachOffense(s)Suspension
Flag of the United States.svg Simone Charley, PORYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs. KC, April 9vs. CHI, April 15
Flag of England.svg Mark Parsons, PORRed card.svg vs. KC, April 9vs. CHI, April 15 [10]
Flag of the United States.svg Morgan Weaver, PORRed card.svg vs. KC, April 9Rescinded [11]
Flag of the United States.svg Kristen Edmonds, KCRed card.svg vs. POR, April 9vs. CHI, April 21
vs. HOU, April 26 [11]
Flag of the United States.svg Jorian Baucom, LOUMajor game misconduct vs. ORL, April 10vs. WAS, April 15 [11]
Flag of the United States.svg Kelley O'Hara, WASYellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs. ORL, April 21vs. NJY, April 27
Flag of the United States.svg Kate Del Fava, KCYellow card.svg vs. POR, April 9
Yellow card.svg vs. HOU, April 26		vs. RGN, May 3
Flag of Argentina.svg Mariana Larroquette, KCMajor game misconduct vs. HOU, April 26vs. RGN, May 3 [12]

Awards

Debinha of the North Carolina Courage was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player. [13] DiDi Haracic (NJ/NY Gotham FC) and Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC), whose teams faced off in the final, were the other two MVP finalists.

Adrianna Franch of the Portland Thorns was voted the MVP of the championship game. [14] She was also named NWSL Player of the Week for her play in the championship game. [15]

Weekly awards

Week Player of the Week Save of the Week Ref.
PlayerClubPlayerClub
1 Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Harris Orlando Pride [16]
2 Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Harris Orlando Pride Flag of the United States.svg Ashlyn Harris (2) Orlando Pride [17] [18]
3 Flag of the United States.svg Kristie Mewis Houston Dash Flag of the United States.svg Michelle Betos Racing Louisville FC [19] [20]
4 Flag of Spain.svg Celia OL Reign Flag of the United States.svg Carson Pickett North Carolina Courage [21] [22]
5 Flag of the United States.svg Adrianna Franch Portland Thorns FC Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg DiDi Haracic NJ/NY Gotham FC [23] [24]

Broadcasting

NWSL's broadcasting partnership with CBS Sports and Twitch continued. In the US, CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) aired the opener, a rematch of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship between Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars, on April 9, as well as three additional games; the final game on May 8 was available on CBS and Paramount+; and all other games were streamed exclusively on Paramount+. Every game was available on Twitch internationally, including in Canada when games were not on CBS Sports Network. [5]

JP Dellacamera and Aly Wagner commentated on the opening game and the final, while Jenn Hildreth and Lori Lindsey provided commentary in three other games on CBSSN. Marisa Pilla returned to the coverage as sideline reporter. Commentators for Paramount+ and Twitch coverage included play-by-play announcers Mike Watts, Jordan Angeli, Josh Eastern, Joe Malfa and Josh Tolle, and match analyst Lori Lindsey, Jen Cooper, Kaylyn Kyle, Lisa Roman and Kacey White. [25]

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References

  1. ↑ "NWSL Announces Innovative 2021 Competition Framework". NWSL. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "2021 NWSL CHALLENGE CUP SET TO BE PLAYED IN HOME MARKETS; KICKOFF SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 9". NWSL. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  3. ↑ "NWSL Announces Innovative 2021 Competition Framework". NWSL. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ Donovan, Mike (May 8, 2021). "Challenge Cup Championship Recap | Portland Thorns FC 1 (6), NJ/NY Gotham FC 1 (5)". Portland Thorns FC. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "NWSL Announces 2021 Challenge Cup Presented by Secret Opener in Houston". NWSL. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ "NWSL Releases Full Schedule and Broadcast Details for 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Presented by Secret Deodorant". NWSL. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "2021 NWSL CHALLENGE CUP RULES AND REGULATIONS" (PDF). NWSL. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ NWSL Challenge Cup Tournament Rules
  9. ↑ Tannenwald, Jonathan (May 4, 2021). "Union offer to host NWSL Challenge Cup final at Subaru Park if game has to be moved from Portland". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns FC". www.nwslsoccer.com.
  11. 1 2 3 "NWSL Disciplinary Committee Issues Decisions". NWSL. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  12. ↑ "NWSL Disciplinary Committee Issues Decisions". NWSL. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Debinha named MVP of 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup presented by Secret Deodorant". NWSL. May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  14. ↑ Myers, Ryan (May 8, 2021). "Thorns Win 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup". Prost Amerika. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Thorns FC goalkeeper Adrianna Franch named NWSL Player of the Week". Portland Thorns FC. May 12, 2021. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  16. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 16, 2021). "All worthy, but we have a winner... 🗳️ @Ashlyn_Harris' penalty save takes home @Verizon Save of the Week 👏 #CC21 https://t.co/lSPp3N9Nxe" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  17. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 22, 2021). "Clean sheet, clean sweep 🙌 @Ashlyn_Harris earns @budweiserusa Player of the Week honors 👏 #CC21 https://t.co/GoApNParMn" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  18. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 23, 2021). "Two for Two ✌️ @Ashlyn_Harris' second PK stop in as many weeks earns @Verizon Save of the Week honors 👏 #CC21 https://t.co/OgyXkYxwXe" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  19. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 29, 2021). "Nothing Mew here 🤩 @KristieMewie is your @budweiserusa Player of the Week 🏆 #CC21 https://t.co/DMExO5mnIw" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  20. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (April 30, 2021). "Bet on Betos 💰 @MichelleBetos takes home @Verizon Save of the Week honors 🙅♀️ #CC21 https://t.co/M30wBEYGLQ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  21. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 6, 2021). "No rocket science needed for this one 🚀 @celiajimdel engineers her way to @budweiserusa Player of the Week honors 👏 #CC21 | @OLReign https://t.co/xRQkApv6wj" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  22. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 7, 2021). "𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤ed her spot perfectly 😎 @Cars_Pickett16's goal line clearance is your @Verizon Save of the Week! #CC21 https://t.co/7gnC45AOHS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  23. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 12, 2021). "⭐️ A.D. = Always Dazzling ⭐️ @ADizzle23 takes home @budweiserusa Player of the Week honors for an amazing POTM performance in the #CC21 Final 👏 https://t.co/UGmu0KmXsI" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  24. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@NWSL] (May 12, 2021). "Was there ever a doubt? 😏 @DIdeeds legendary stop takes home @Verizon Save of the Week honors 👏 #CC21 | @GothamFC https://t.co/8nCa7w05u8" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2021– via Twitter.
  25. ↑ intive. "NWSL Announces Broadcast Lineup for 2021 Challenge Cup Presented by Secret Deodorant". www.nwslsoccer.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.