NWSL Announces Challenge Cup Schedule, Rules, and Awards
The National Women’s Soccer League today announced the revised match schedule for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret. Additionally, the NWSL has announced the rules and regulations for the competition, which is set to begin in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 27.
The tournament will begin with the preliminary round, where each team will play four matches. OL Reign will face Sky Blue FC on June 30, at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) at Zions Bank Stadium. OL Reign will then face the Houston Dash on Saturday, July 4 at 7:00 p.m. PT, followed by matches against Utah Royals FC on Wednesday, July 8 at 9:30 a.m. PT, and against Portland Thorns FC on Monday, July 13 at 9:30 a.m. PT. The Championship match will take place on Sunday, July 26 at 9:30 a.m. PT.
The tournament opener and the Championship match will air on CBS and will be streamed on the CBS All Access subscription service. All other games will be live on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Canada and will re-air on CBS Sports Network. Fans outside the U.S. and Canada can stream the full tournament on Twitch.
OL REIGN PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE AND RULES
OL Reign vs. Sky Blue FC – Zions Bank Stadium – Tuesday, June 30, 7:00 p.m. PT – CBS All Access
Houston Dash vs. OL Reign – Zions Bank Stadium – Saturday, July 4, 7:00 p.m. PT – CBS All Access
Utah Royals FC vs. OL Reign – Zions Bank Stadium – Wednesday, July 8, 9:30 a.m. PT – CBS All Access
OL Reign vs. Portland Thorns FC – Zions Bank Stadium – Monday, July 13, 9:30 a.m. PT – CBS All Access
During the preliminary round, teams will be awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss. At the end of the preliminary round, the standings from the preliminary round will be used to seed the quarterfinals of the tournament. If two teams are tied on points, their position on the table will be determined according to the following tiebreakers:
Head-to-head record (if applicable)
Goal difference
Goals scored
Lowest team conduct score
A team’s conduct score is related to their disciplinary record on the pitch throughout the preliminary round. A team is awarded: one point for a yellow card, 3 points for a player sent off on two yellow cards, four points for a player sent off on a straight red card and five points for a player who receives a yellow card and a straight red card in a match.
A team’s roster may be comprised of up to 28 players. Final rosters were submitted to the league on Sunday, June 21.
During the knockout rounds of the tournament, no extra time will be played. Should any match during the knockout rounds end in a draw, the match will immediately proceed to kicks from the penalty mark to determine which team will advance.
All players on a club’s tournament roster may dress and play in a given match, provided that player has not been suspended due to a red card or yellow card accumulation. Teams will be allowed up to five substitutes in each match, but may stop play no more than three times in a match to make their substitutions.
The league also announced the awards that it would present at the conclusion of the tournament. The tournament’s awards include: the Tournament MVP sponsored by Budweiser, awarded to the tournament’s best player as voted by the media, the Golden Boot, presented to the tournament’s top scorer, the Golden Glove sponsored by Verizon, presented to the tournament’s best goalkeeper as voted by the media, the NWSL Future Legend award, presented to the top-performing player who is in her rookie season and the tournament Best XI, awarded to the best 11 players at the tournament. The NWSL Challenge Cup Best XI will be determined by voting from players, media, fans and GMs/coaches.
At the end of each match during the tournament, the league will also present postgame awards on social media. These include: The Budweiser Woman of the Match, the No Sweat Play of the Match presented by Secret, and the Verizon Save of the Match.
The full NWSL Challenge Cup roster rules can be found here.
The full NWSL Challenge Cup tournament rules can be found here.