In 22 games over the past month, the NWSL Challenge Cup saw outstanding performances from league goalkeepers, three playoff games decided on penalties, quarterfinal surprises of the first two seeds, and, after the teams combined to a single goal in four quarterfinal matches, a five-goal game in the semifinals.
On Sunday afternoon, the tournament will end with the Houston Dash or Chicago Red Stars holding their first NWSL trophy.
The final match of the tournament will take place at the Rio Tinto stadium in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. The broadcast begins on CBS at 12:30 pm ET, and the FiveThirtyEight club’s football predictions give the Red Stars a 59 percent chance of winning. This is what you should observe.
Houston Dash
1-2-1
Even when no one else trusted them, the Houston Dash believed they could win. With their 1-0 semifinal victory over the Portland Thorns, Dash reached its first final in club history. Before this tournament, they hadn’t even qualified for the playoffs.
Forward Rachel Daly said the semifinal victory was proof of how much the team believes in itself, including the starters, the bench and the staff. She said the team showed guts.
“The city of Houston is behind us,” said Daly. “I think a lot of people have doubted us in the past. Again, I always insist on that. The respect we have for each other and the belief we have in this locker room is phenomenal, and I think we have to have that in the next game to win. “
Daly has so far scored three goals in the Challenge Cup, tied for the league lead with Lynn Williams of the North Carolina Courage and one higher up on Dash’s teammate Shea Groom. If Daly scores again, he will overtake Williams and be in a position to win the Golden Boot for the tournament.
Despite the wear and tear of the tournament, Houston has suffered few injuries. The Dash missed Christine Nairn and Megan Oyster against Portland, but overall, the team seemed to benefit from the longer pause between group play and knockouts. Houston is also better if Nichelle Prince can create consistent opportunities, along with Kristie Mewis and Bri Visalli.
The Dash is up for the challenge. Before the semi-final, Daly talked about controlling her emotions, and they will have to keep those feelings under control to win everything against an experienced Chicago team.
Chicago Red Stars
1-2-1
Chicago has been here before.
The red stars have playoff experience, including the 2019 NWSL championship game. That story probably helped against an inexperienced Sky Blue team in the semifinal; Chicago won 3-2 to advance to its second consecutive final.
But the Red Stars also looked worn after Wednesday’s game, a visible reminder of the fact that these teams have played six games since June 27. Although Chicago rotated its lineup, it still had to face Spirit, Thorns and Courage to start the group game. The red stars also lost several players during the tournament; some are questionable before Sunday.
Against Houston, the players to watch include Bianca St. Georges, who scored and got an assist against Sky Blue and had an outstanding overall tournament. This will also mark Kealia Watt’s first match against her former team. Watt did not score in the semifinal, but contributed massively on the defensive end. It will be important on both sides of the ball on Sunday.
Red Stars coach Rory Dames congratulated Savannah McCaskill, Katie Johnson and other young players after the semi-final. He’s willing to give them a chance to play in the big game, which can benefit them both now and in the future.
“We will continue to gain experience from the players,” said Dames. “We will continue to provide opportunities for players in these types of situations, and that is the only way they can grow, because it cannot be replicated.”
