NC Courage will return to field next month in NWSL Challenge Cup
The NC Courage will open the defense of their consecutive NWSL titles in unusual fashion next month.
The NWSL will become the first North American professional team sport to return to play with a 25-game tournament bringing all nine teams together in Utah — without fans — starting June 27. Each team will play four games in a preliminary stage before a three-round tournament ending with the NWSL Challenge Cup championship game scheduled for July 26.
It’s a huge opportunity for the league and the sport, with the national stage all to itself.
“This is going to move the NWSL in a positive direction,” Courage forward Jessica McDonald said Wednesday. “We’re going to have spectators watching us on the livestream, probably more than we’ve ever had in history. There’s no sports being played or on right now, so for us to be the first in this nation, I’m really excited to see the new fan base we’re probably going to have, people who have probably never watched soccer a day in their lives. We might have that. This is a beautiful thing to push women’s soccer in general in a very positive direction.”
New NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird secured sponsorship deals with Procter & Gamble and Verizon to underwrite the tournament, which will be primarily aired on CBS’ subscription streaming site with two games broadcast on CBS itself. Individual clubs like the Courage will have opportunities to get their sponsors involved as well, Courage president Curt Johnson said.
“It doesn’t happen without the health and safety protocols,” Johnson said. “Everyone had to be comfortable with that. It’s a nonstarter if you can’t get past that. Secondarily, the financial side of it had to be a win. You can see partners stepping up like Proctor & Gamble and Secret, Verizon, Nike’s been an ongoing partner, helping to make it happen from a financial perspective.”
Johnson said the Courage explored whether it would be possible to host the tournament in the Triangle but it quickly became apparent Utah was the most suitable site.
The Courage returns all but three players from last season’s roster, with defender Hallie Mace arriving in a trade for midfielder McCall Zerboni in the offseason’s biggest move. They have been training in groups of eight and are scheduled to move to full-team training Saturday. But participation in the tournament has been left up to individual players, Johnson said, including the league’s biggest stars.
“All of the players, it’s optional,” Johnson said. “That’s an important point. We hope to have all of our players. This is all new. The players are evaluating their own individual situations. We have had a lot of conversation, a lot of interaction with the players. There’s a lot of support there and we obviously wouldn’t have moved forward without that, but every single one? That’s hard to say.”
Players will be quarantined in an “NWSL Village” near Salt Lake City “to control as much of the environment as possible” and have the use of three stadiums for games and training. The NWSL and NWSL Players Association to agreed upon detailed procedures for handling positive COVID-19 tests, with different medical protocols for both symptomatic and asymptomatic players who may test positive. Players will be tested before leaving for Utah, upon arrival and during the tournament.
In return for agreeing to the tournament, the NWSLPA secured contract and housing guarantees for its players, insurance coverage through 2021 and accommodation for player families during the tournament. That was critical for McDonald, whose 8-year-old son Jeremiah has become a Courage star in his own right. He’s going to Utah, too.
“It’s obviously something that we’re going to have to be comfortable with as moms,” McDonald said. “We’re kind of in this pact together to do whatever we can to keep our children healthy as well. We’re thinking not just for ourselves but children, other people. Our higher-ups and the NWSL have come to an understanding of our needs and the things we have to have for our children to move forward with this tournament.”
The NWSL’s single-site tournament will serve as a test case for similar proposals being pursued by the NHL and NBA. Germany’s soccer league returned to action earlier this month and South Korea’s baseball league started its season in April.
“As our country begins to safely reopen and adjust to our collective new reality, and with the enthusiastic support of our players, owners, as well as our new and current commercial partners, the NWSL is thrilled to bring professional soccer back to the United States,” Baird said in a statement.
Johnson said the Courage’s new jersey — boasting two stars above the logo to represent the two championships — would be released imminently.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 12:24 PM with the headline "NC Courage will return to field next month in NWSL Challenge Cup."
