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Chicago Red Stars v Houston Dash: NWSL Challenge Cup final – live! Chicago Red Stars v Houston Dash: NWSL Challenge Cup final – live!
(32 minutes later)
Minute-by-minute report: The Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash meet for the Challenge Cup at Rio Tinto Stadium. Follow all the action with Beau DureMinute-by-minute report: The Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash meet for the Challenge Cup at Rio Tinto Stadium. Follow all the action with Beau Dure
Kickoff: It’s been sloppy at times, and only eight teams could make it, but it’s been beautiful in its own way. Congratulations to everyone for getting this far. Here we go ...
The festivities begin, in a stadium in which fans have not been allowed to enter, with a note of gratitude to the league and teams’ medical staffs and partners. Quite appropriate.
Then, as we’ve seen in all previous games, the vast majority of players take a knee during the national anthem.
This final is on U.S. over-the-air network CBS, as was the opener. That’s a big step forward for a league whose broadcasts have been hard to find.
They’re opening with narration by Alex Morgan, the star U.S. forward whose team, the Orlando Pride, was not allowed to travel to this tournament after some positive or inconclusive COVID-19 tests. Some other notable U.S. players -- Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press -- simply decided not to go.
If you’d like to keep track of the Premier League finales while we watch an actual final, we have you covered:
David Byrne once asked, “Well, how did I get here?”
The Dash have scored one goal in their last four games, and that was against a shell of the Portland Thorns roster that overachieved to knock off North Carolina but could do little as Lindsey Horan, the best player of the tournament, joined world-class defender Becky Sauerbrunn on the injured list. Yorkshire-born Rachel Daly, subject of Louise Taylor’s Guardian preview, scored that goal.
Even in their opening game, in which they erupted for three goals but collapsed to give up two late, they started by parking an orange bus in front of the goal.
Round-robin playD 3-3 Utah, starting in that defensive posture, giving up the first goal, erupting for three and then collapsing to give up two W 2-0 OL Reign L 0-1 North Carolina L 0-2 Sky Blue
They knocked out Utah, the host of this event, on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Then Daly’s goal took care of Portland.
Lineup -- note that the Mewis in the lineup is Kristie, not her sister Samantha:
The Red Stars in the round-robin stage: L 1-2 Washington D 0-0 Portland L 0-1 North Carolina W 1-0 UtahThat put them sixth, but only one point out of third. So when they eliminated OL Reign (the Seattle team that is now a sibling of French women’s soccer titan Olympique Lyonnais, hence the initials) on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals, the term “upset” is a stretch. Next up was Sky Blue, which had done the Red Stars the favor of eliminating the dynamic but green Washington Spirit. Chicago quickly took care of business, starting with a wonder goal by Bianca St. Georges.The Red Stars in the round-robin stage: L 1-2 Washington D 0-0 Portland L 0-1 North Carolina W 1-0 UtahThat put them sixth, but only one point out of third. So when they eliminated OL Reign (the Seattle team that is now a sibling of French women’s soccer titan Olympique Lyonnais, hence the initials) on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in the quarterfinals, the term “upset” is a stretch. Next up was Sky Blue, which had done the Red Stars the favor of eliminating the dynamic but green Washington Spirit. Chicago quickly took care of business, starting with a wonder goal by Bianca St. Georges.
By the 11th minute, Chicago led 2-0. They made it 3-0 in the second half and weathered a late Sky Blue run to win 3-2.By the 11th minute, Chicago led 2-0. They made it 3-0 in the second half and weathered a late Sky Blue run to win 3-2.
Their lineup is anchored at the back by U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Julie Ertz, the best player for the U.S. in its World Cup run last year.Their lineup is anchored at the back by U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Julie Ertz, the best player for the U.S. in its World Cup run last year.
Welcome to an unlikely final to an unusual season.Welcome to an unlikely final to an unusual season.
The best news here for the women’s soccer community and the sports world as a whole is that the NWSL has given us all proof of concept. They stuck eight teams in a bubble to play a short season, and we’ve made it to the final. That’s good news for MLS, the NBA, the WNBA, the NHL and anyone else trying to do the same thing.The best news here for the women’s soccer community and the sports world as a whole is that the NWSL has given us all proof of concept. They stuck eight teams in a bubble to play a short season, and we’ve made it to the final. That’s good news for MLS, the NBA, the WNBA, the NHL and anyone else trying to do the same thing.
And we’ll see one team win its first NWSL trophy. For the Houston Dash, it would be a first ever. For the Chicago Red Stars, it would be the second after winning the obscure and erratically contested National Cup in 2012.And we’ll see one team win its first NWSL trophy. For the Houston Dash, it would be a first ever. For the Chicago Red Stars, it would be the second after winning the obscure and erratically contested National Cup in 2012.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Louise Taylor’s lookahead to today’s match.Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Louise Taylor’s lookahead to today’s match.