The National Women's Soccer League rolls on with the 2020 Challenge Cup in Utah as OL Reign face off against Sky Blue FC in a match that would have featured U.S. women's national team regulars Carli Lloyd and Mallory Pugh against Megan Rapinoe. It is the first of four preliminary round matches for each club before the start of the knockout stage. Because of Orlando Pride's withdrawal due to COVID-19, every participant will reach the quarterfinal round.
Below you'll find out how to watch the game and what to know.
Viewing information
- Date: Tuesday, June 30
- Time: 10 p.m. ET
- Location: Zions Bank Stadium -- Herriman, Utah
- Live stream: CBS All Access
- Odds: OL Reign -133; Draw +250; Sky Blue FC +300 (via William Hill Sportsbook)
How do I get CBS All Access?
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Where and how can I use CBS All Access?
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Storylines
OL Reign: Rapinoe is the only player on the roster to forgo the tournament, so that leaves England international Jodie Taylor and 2019 NWSL Rookie of the Year Award winner Bethany Balcer up top at forward for first-year coach Farid Benstiti, who replaced Vlatko Andonovski, who is the current USWNT coach. Look for USWNT central defender Alana Cook, who is with the squad on short-term loan from Paris Saint-Germain after the French league canceled its season due to the pandemic, to make her NWSL debut on Tuesday.
Sky Blue FC: In her pregame press conference, coach Freya Coombe, who is bringing a relatively young roster to Utah, hinted that 23-year-old Canadian forward Evelyne Viens, a 2020 College Draft pick out of South Florida, could see some run at some point during the tourney. Twenty-four-year-old Midge Purce will be making her Sky Blue FC debut on Tuesday after spending the last two years in Portland. Purce, who was acquired via trade, has the versatility to play wing-back, wide and forward for Coombe. Purce caught fire at one point in the 2019 season, scoring five goals in a span of five games.
Game prediction
Sky Blue FC will come away with the upset as Purce nets a brace in her debut. Pick: Sky Blue FC 3, OL Reign 2.
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