OL Reign’s Challenge Cup: A Glimpse of the Future

OL Reign’s elimination from the NWSL Challenge Cup in the quarterfinals left the club unsatisfied after finishing third in the preliminary round. Despite the inherent obstacles presented by the tournament, the club’s 1-1-3 record showed the promise and drive that will propel the club forward long after the tournament concludes after Sunday’s final between the Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash. 

Overcoming adversity and adapting to unusual circumstances are central themes to the story of the Challenge Cup, a competition born out of a commitment to keep advancing women’s professional soccer. 

The tournament, which was initially announced on May 27, sent teams into a flurry of activity across the country. After a nearly two-month delay had shuttered the league’s preseason, clubs began to draw up plans to prepare their players for a tournament that would begin in 37 days, which included working with local government authorities and health officials to safely determine how to resume training. 

For OL Reign, it quickly became apparent that training in Washington state would be impossible. The government’s social distancing decree meant that full team training would not be permitted. Arriving early in Utah, meanwhile, meant that the club would not have full control of its schedule as it would be required to share facilities with other clubs. 

Missoula, Montana, however, provided an alternate option. The University of Montana had recently undergone a major renovation to its soccer facilities, making the surface ideal for a professional team. Low COVID rates, combined with diligent mask wearing, frequent testing, and other health and safety protocols meant that players would have more freedom to move around than in Utah or Washington.

OL Reign training at the University of Montana.

The altitude was also an attractive aspect of Missoula, as well. The city’s elevation of 3,209 feet meant that players could prepare their bodies for the physical rigors that Utah would demand, safely helping them acclimate ahead of time to improve recovery and reduce the risk of injury—a particular point of emphasis after two months without a regular training regimen. 

OL Reign forward Jodie Taylor praised the measured approach to resuming team activities. 

“It’s just about being sensible, being smart and listening to your body as well,” Taylor said. “We’ve got great staff. (Director of High Performance Nick Leman) is brilliant at managing people’s workloads. I feel in really good hands, medically. A lot of it comes down to trust. It helps when you trust your staff to do the right thing in training and in matches. It does make you feel a little calmer coming into the situation.”  

The club also had to adapt to a new tactical style under head coach Farid Benstiti, who was appointed as the third manager in club history in January. Benstiti’s wasn’t the only new face at the club. New signings like defender Adrienne Jordan, Costa Rican midfielder Shirley Cruz, Japanese forward Nicole Momiki and defender Alana Cook – who joined the club on a two-month loan from Paris St. Germain – all had to rapidly jell with their teammates ahead of their first taste of NWSL play. 

Beyond the physical and tactical challenges stresses of the tournament were the psychological ones, something that Benstiti made clear were at the forefront of his mind early into camp in Montana. 

“I told the players, the objective is of course the competition, but that can’t be the only thing we focus on,” Benstiti said. “We want to enjoy playing together. Not only to enjoy playing together, but living together and trying to change our mindset in a very complicated time for everybody. That is our job. We can be efficient and still take pleasure in our job and get results. That’s what’s most important. It affects us coaches, too. Normally it is easier to make training sessions and think about the games, but what is harder is to put out good attitude and positive attitude for everyone. Don’t just think about winning or losing the tournament, but focus on our lives together to come together in solidarity. I think that’s more important.”  

OL Reign’s move to Montana coincided with protests around the country that were sparked by the murder of George Floyd. The club’s players had their own discussions surrounding the topic of racial injustice, which resulted in an exercise which examined the silent power of privilege and the various ways it affected players on the team. 

Once in Utah, the club finally took the field for the first time as OL Reign, embarking on a new chapter in club history in an unprecedented setting. 

The club’s opening match against Sky Blue FC on Tuesday, June 30 finished 0-0. OL Reign was denied a late game-winner as forward Jasmyne Spencer, making her first appearance since tearing her ACL in the 2019 season opener, had her shot saved by keeper Kailen Sheridan after breaking through the back line. 

Four days later, the club was upended by Houston, despite controlling the ball for 58.2 percent of the match, OL Reign lost 2-0. The goals were the only ones that OL Reign conceded over five matches during the tournament. 

Keeper Michelle Betos made her return to play against Utah Royals FC on July 8, 14 months after rupturing her Achilles tendon. The keeper swiftly reestablished herself as one of the league’s preeminent netminders, making five saves and keeping a clean sheet in her return. A header goal from reigning NWSL Rookie of the Year Bethany Balcer saw OL Reign take all three points from the match, lifting them into fifth place with one match to play.

Bethany Balcer celebrates her game-winning goal with Nicole Momiki

Everything hung in the balance coming into the final preliminary round match against Portland on Monday, July 13. A loss would have seen the club finish at the bottom of the standings, while a win could have taken them as high as second place. 

The match was a tense battle between rival clubs. Portland narrowly out-shot OL Reign 12-9, but Betos made four more saves to keep her second straight clean sheet and OL Reign edged the Thorns 49-48 in duels won as the match ended in a scoreless draw.  

The result saw OL Reign finish in third place with five points and a 1-1-2 record, as well as cementing a last-place finish for Portland after the club went a winless 0-1-3 during the preliminary round. 

Significantly, the match saw the return of midfielder and OL Reign original Jess Fishlock in the final 18 minutes of play. Fishlock, who missed the tail end of the 2019 after tearing her ACL, was thrilled to be back on the pitch against the club’s rival. 

Even better, the match served as OL Reign’s 2020 Pride Match, presented by Boeing. For Fishlock, who has been honored as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her work on behalf of LGBTQA communities, the chance to don a rainbow-numbered jersey against the Thorns for her official return to play was an enticing prospect. 

“It’s really important that we still celebrate Pride,” Fishlock said. “When I heard that our game against Portland would be the Pride game, it put a massive smile on my face because it’s important that you still send these messages. Even though you can’t be out in a massive crowd doing the Pride walk and what it stands for, that doesn’t mean that you can’t do the things that we’re doing. You can still send out the message. You can still have a Pride match. You can still do all the things that we do related to Pride. You can still do the things that we’ve done the last eight years. It warms my heart that even though we’re in this environment, we still felt that it was important to dedicate the jerseys and the game to Pride.”  

The match-worn jerseys signed by the club’s players and sold out online within minutes, raising over $6,000 for Rainbow Center Tacoma, a nonprofit that provides support and resources to the LGBTQA community in the south Puget Sound. 

For the club’s quarterfinal match against the Chicago Red Stars on July 18, OL Reign put out a starting lineup that included Fishlock, as well as forwards Jodie Taylor, Darian Jenkins, and Sofia Huerta, who arrived at the club via an offseason trade with Houston. 

The club battered Chicago’s goal, finishing with a 7-2 advantage in shots on target over the course of 90 minutes, but Red Stars keeper Alyssa Naeher denied OL Reign time and time again. OL Reign finished with 56.7 percent of the possession, sent in 27 crosses and forced Chicago into 18 clearances. 

Despite the onslaught, the match finished in a scoreless draw and the Red Stars edged OL Reign on kicks from the penalty mark, 4-3. 

“I’m very sad for the players,” OL Reign head coach Farid Benstiti said. “I think the second half was very good. I was sure that we could score. We had some opportunities, but we didn’t score. We must be efficient when we play very well, when we have advantage, possessions, when the enemy is down. At this time we must be more efficient, but I’m proud of the players today.”  

The result was less than the players, coaches, and club had hoped for, but OL Reign’s Challenge Cup campaign marks an important moment in club history. 

The club’s resolute defending—a longstanding hallmark of the organization—saw it keep a league-high four clean sheets during the tournament. The club displayed the mastery of possession and quick passing that Benstiti seeks in flashes, no mean feat with a mere 37 days of preparation and familiarization. 

Perhaps most importantly, the tournament featured high points for so many of the club’s individual players: Betos’ return and consecutive shutouts, Fishlock’s and Spencer’s healthy return and offensive contributions, Balcer’s game-winning goal, and the successful introduction of players like Huerta, Momiki, and Cruz, who will form the foundation upon which the squad will be built for the 2021 season. 

For all of its challenges, obstacles and pressures, the Challenge Cup provided the opportunities for these players to ply their trade once more on a sun-drenched pitch in Herriman, Utah. 

“I think we will be very competitive next year,” Benstiti said. “I know my players more now. We have four defenders that are very strong. Lu (Barnes) today played left back, and she was very, very good. We have some options, offensively and in the midfield. Next season we will be stronger.”