OL Reign Set to Play in 2022 Women’s Cup
OL Reign are set to participate in the second ever Women’s Cup in Louisville, Kentucky. The first iteration of the tournament took place last summer, featuring Racing Louisville FC, the Chicago Red Stars, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. The hosts, Racing Louisville, were crowned champions, after defeating the Chicago Red Stars in the semifinal round and Bayern Munich in the championship.
This year, the tournament features six top-level teams – OL Reign, Racing Louisville FC, Club América, Tokyo Verdy Beleza, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. The tournament began with the quarterfinals on Sunday, August 14th. AC Milan took on Tokyo Verdy Beleza at 1:00 p.m. and won 3-1. AC Milan notched their goals in the 18th, 64th and 81st minutes. Tokyo Verdy Beleza found one goal back in the 82nd minute. After securing the victory, AC Milan earned their spot in the semifinals, where they will go head-to-head with Racing Louisville FC.
On the other side of the bracket, Club América took on Tottenham in the quarterfinals and won 2-1. Club América opened the scoring in the 10th minute and found a second in the 14th minute. Tottenham managed to pull one goal back in the 63rd minute, but ultimately fell to Club América. With this win, Club América advances to the semifinals, where they will take on OL Reign.
Both semifinal matches will take place today, Wednesday, August 17. The winner of each match will advance to the final, while the loser of each match will play in a match to determine who takes third place. Both games will take place on Saturday, August 20.
The 2022 Women’s Cup schedule, beginning with the seminal match ups is below. The matches will be available to watch on CBS Sports/Paramount+ in the United States. For international streaming options, click here.
Schedule:
Semifinals – Wednesday, August 17
2:00 p.m. PT – OL Reign vs. Club América
5:00 p.m. PT – Racing Louisville vs. AC Milan
Third Place Match and Final – Saturday August 20
1:00 p.m. PT – Third Place Match – Runner-up of each semifinal match
4:00 p.m. PT – Final – Winner of each semifinal match
Match Preview: OL Reign vs. Club América
SCOUTING CLUB AMÉRICA – OL Reign and Club América have never met in any competition before. Club América Femenil is a Mexican women's football club based in Mexico City. An inaugural member of the Liga MX Femenil, the team has been playing since 2017. After winning the title in 2018, the club is one of only four clubs to ever win the Liga MX Femenil.
In Liga MX Femenil play, the team is currently in fifth place, out of a total of 18 teams. Level on points with the fourth-place team, Club América has a record of four wins, one loss and two draws, for a total of 14 points.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY – With OL Reign’s busy schedule, it is likely that the team will rely on their depth during this tournament. The team played a few days ago, in an NWSL match up against NJ/NY Gotham FC at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. After a dominant 4-1-win, OL Reign immediately prepared to travel across the country to Louisville for this tournament. Having rotated their lineup frequently in league play, OL Reign is surely up to the challenge.