NWSL Challenge Cup

Last updated

NWSL Challenge Cup
Organizing body National Women's Soccer League
FoundedMay 27, 2020;4 years ago (2020-05-27)
RegionUnited States
Current champion(s) San Diego Wave FC
(1st title)
Most successful club(s) North Carolina Courage
(2 titles)
Television broadcasters Amazon Prime Video [1]
Website https://www.nwslsoccer.com/
Soccerball current event.svg 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup

The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2024) cup holder is San Diego Wave FC, who defeated NJ/NY Gotham FC 1-0 on March 15, 2024.

Contents

The NWSL Challenge Cup was first announced in 2020 as a one-off, league-wide tournament to mark the league's return to action from the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] It was the first top-tier professional sports league in the United States to restart after COVID-19 lockdowns began. [3] Subsequently, the NWSL announced that it would return as an annual league cup tournament. [4] Before the 2024 season, the NWSL announced that the Challenge Cup would change from a tournament to a single-game supercup. [5]

Format

2020–2023

For the first four years of the tournament, all NWSL teams began a group stage where they played four to six games, usually split geographically. The group stage was then followed by one or more knockout matches to determine the Cup winner. In 2020, all nine teams were to play four games each in a single pool, with eight teams advancing to the knockout stage; however, one team had to drop out due to COVID exposure, and the pool games among the remaining eight teams were used solely for seeding the knockout rounds. [6] In 2021, the ten teams were divided into two divisions of five teams, with the two group winners qualifying for the final match. [7] In 2022 and 2023, the twelve teams split into three groups of four, with the best runner-up joining the three group winners in a two-round knockout tournament. [8] In 2023, the format remained the same but the tournament was moved to run concurrently with the season due to player concerns about injuries. [9]

2024 onward

In 2024, the NWSL Challenge Cup transitioned to a single pre-season match between the winners of the previous season's NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, a similar structure to other super cup trophies worldwide such as the FA Community Shield. Should a team win both the Championship and Shield, the Challenge Cup is a rematch of the previous season's championship match. [5]

Records and statistics

Results by team

TeamWinnersRunners-upLast won
North Carolina Courage 20 2023
Houston Dash 10 2020
Portland Thorns FC 10 2021
San Diego Wave FC 10 2024
NJ/NY Gotham FC 02–
Chicago Red Stars 01–
Racing Louisville FC 01–
Washington Spirit 01–

List of finals

SeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueAttendancePlayer of the FinalTournament MVP
2020 Houston Dash 2–0 Chicago Red Stars Rio Tinto Stadium 0 (behind closed doors) Shea Groom (Houston Dash) Rachel Daly (Houston Dash)
2021 Portland Thorns FC 1–1
6–5 (p)		 NJ/NY Gotham FC Providence Park 4,000 - 5,000 (estimate) [10] Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC) Debinha (North Carolina Courage)
2022 North Carolina Courage 2–1 Washington Spirit Sahlen's Stadium 3,163 Kerolin (North Carolina Courage) Debinha (North Carolina Courage)
2023 North Carolina Courage 2–0 Racing Louisville FC Sahlen's Stadium 3,068 Manaka Matsukubo (North Carolina Courage) Kristen Hamilton (Kansas City Current)
2024 San Diego Wave FC 1–0 NJ/NY Gotham FC Red Bull Arena 14,241 Alex Morgan (San Diego Wave FC)Not awarded

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NJ/NY Gotham FC</span> Soccer team

NJ/NY Gotham Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sky Blue FC from 2008 until 2020. A founding member of the NWSL in 2013, Sky Blue FC also played in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) from 2009 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Women's Soccer League</span> Professional soccer league in the United States

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional soccer league at the top of the United States league system. The league comprises 14 teams. Headquartered in New York City, it is owned by the teams and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation.

The following is a compilation of notable records and statistics for teams and players in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The NWSL's inaugural season was kicked off on April 13, 2013 with 8 participating clubs, four of the eight inaugural clubs still exist with their original names. For Historical purposes, the league's stats and records include active and defunct clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debinha</span> Brazilian footballer (born 1991)

Débora Cristiane de Oliveira, known as Debinha Miri or simply Debinha, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Brazil national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Mewis</span> American soccer player (born 1992)

Samantha June Mewis is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Mewis is the editor-in-chief and podcast host of The Women's Game from Men in Blazers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abby Dahlkemper</span> American soccer player (born 1993)

Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center back for Bay FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Williams (soccer)</span> American soccer player (born 1993)

Lynn Raenie Williams is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. The NWSL's all-time leading scorer, she was drafted out of Pepperdine University by the Western New York Flash in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Lavelle</span> American soccer player (born 1995)

Rosemary Kathleen Lavelle is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christen Westphal</span> American soccer player (born 1993)

Christen Joan Westphal is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for San Diego Wave FC, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, the Boston Breakers, as well as the United States national under-23 team. She played college soccer for the Florida Gators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kailen Sheridan</span> Canadian soccer player (born 1995)

Kailen Mary Iacovoni Sheridan is a Canadian professional soccer goalkeeper for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada national team. She previously played for Sky Blue FC / NJ/NY Gotham FC and played college soccer for the Clemson Tigers. She was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year with the Wave in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Courage</span> American professional womens soccer team in North Carolina

The North Carolina Courage are an American professional soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired NWSL franchise rights from the Western New York Flash. The Courage plays its home games at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midge Purce</span> American soccer player (born 1995)

Margaret Melinda "Midge" Williams-Purce is an American soccer player who plays as a forward for NJ/NY Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She previously played for Portland Thorns FC and the Boston Breakers. The Most Valuable Player of Gotham's 2023 NWSL Championship, she is known for her strength on the ball and her willingness to defend from the attack.

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 (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it was the 14th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Hiatt</span> American soccer player (born 1998)

Samantha Ryan Hiatt is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for OL Reign, where she helped the team win the 2022 NWSL Shield, and NJ/NY Gotham FC.

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 (2009–2011) and the Women's United Soccer Association (2001–2003), it is the 15th overall season of FIFA and USSF-sanctioned top division women's soccer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NWSL Challenge Cup</span> Second edition of top womens soccer league cup in the United States

The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup was a league cup tournament that took place during the 2021 National Women's Soccer League season. It began on April 9 and ended May 8, one week before the start of the regular season. 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. Portland Thorns FC won the 2021 final over NJ/NY Gotham FC in a penalty shootout.

The 2021 NJ/NY Gotham FC season was the team's 12th season as a professional women's soccer team and their ninth season as a member of the National Women's Soccer League, the top division of women's soccer in the United States. It is the first season following the club's change of name from Sky Blue FC, which it played under from 2007 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe McClernon</span> American soccer player (born 1997)

Phoebe Lynch McClernon is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Seattle Reign of the NWSL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 NWSL Challenge Cup</span> Football match

The 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup, known as the 2024 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the fifth edition of the NWSL Challenge Cup, a women's soccer competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The match was the first Challenge Cup to be played in the super cup format as a one-off game, contested by the winners of the previous season's NWSL Championship and NWSL Shield. It featured NJ/NY Gotham FC, champions of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League, and San Diego Wave FC, winners of the 2023 NWSL Shield. The match was played on March 15, 2024, and was hosted by Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. The match was acted as an curtain raiser to the 2024 season, and was broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, marking the start of the platform's coverage of the NWSL.

References

  1. ↑ "How to watch NWSL games live on Prime Video this year".
  2. ↑ Levine, Matthew (May 27, 2020). "NWSL announces 2020 Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret". National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  3. ↑ Goff, Stephen (June 25, 2020). "NWSL Challenge Cup opens this weekend, making women's soccer first team sport back". Washington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ "NWSL Announces Innovative 2021 Competition Framework". NWSL. November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "National Women's Soccer League Announces 2024 Schedule Footprint, Competition Calendar" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ Levine, Matthew (May 27, 2020). "NWSL announces 2020 Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret". www.NWSLSoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "NWSL Announces 2021 Challenge Cup Presented by Secret Opener in Houston". www.NWSLSoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. March 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ "National Women's Soccer League announce 2022 Challenge Cup format" (PDF). www.nwslsoccer.com. December 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ Yanchulis, Kate (November 17, 2022). "NWSL Challenge Cup will take place in-season after scheduling, injury concerns". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ Estimated limited attendance provided at 15:50 on YT video: FULL GAME: 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Final [Portland Thorns FC vs Gotham FC] | CBS Sports HQ
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.