Also as for where rosters stand now, for any who like me who've kind of forgotten what happened in the offseason because that all feels so long ago, I think Jen Cooper's google doc of rosters is pretty up-to-date: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...tHOkmb4kt4QgJBY3aWfJ60n4Vo/edit#gid=119298478
@blissett , have you tried Twitch, yet? https://www.twitch.tv/nwslofficial NWSL REWIND Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 PM Saturdays at 4 PM 5/28 @ 6 PM: NC v ORL (OG date 9/30/17) 5/30 @ 4 PM: CHI v POR (OG date 3/31/18) NWSL AT HOME 6/1 @ 6 PM: Join us Mondays where Marisa Pilla will be conducting live interviews and sharing amazing stories from around the league. All times are Eastern Standard Times. I have been very much enjoying the Washington Spirit Content on Twitch.
I'm listening right now to the media conference call about the Challenge Cup, and here's some things I've heard so far (although I think the journalists on the call have probably reported a lot of this already): -Baird isn't sure if they can get additional games televised on CBS or CBS Sports, but said she'll be pushing for that. -NWSL is included in the Dept of Homeland Security exemption for athletes coming back into the US, meaning any NWSL players overseas right now will be cleared to travel back (if they choose to). -Foudy asked about players not feeling safe/comfortable after the roster freeze date and after arriving in Utah for the tournament. Baird says it'll be situation-specific, and there'll be plenty of medical staff and support staff around to talk through that with the player. -There were 4 bids in for this tournament, but she doesn't say which other cities were considered.
I read that Cary, NC (NCFC/NC Courage) was interested; I don't know if they actually submitted a bid.
It wasn't 4 other, it was 4 total. I don't think HOU has the facilities, and I bet ORL wouldn't want NWSL there too since they seem to already be getting MLS. So the four bids would've more likely been POR, DC, UTA, and NC.
For those wanting to keep track of which players are in and which are not, some clues: NC is fully on board: If you're wondering about @TheNCCourage player participation in the NWSL #ChallengeCup, well, it's what you might expect. @prileyfury4life tells @999TheFan (and I've been told separately) that all Courage players are presently on board to participate (sans injury issues). pic.twitter.com/Kd74LmWGGg— Neil Morris (@ByNeilMorris) May 28, 2020 Orlando has a few question marks, but no firm no's: Orlando Pride coach Marc Skinner says there are no firm 'no' answers as of yet from players regarding participation in the NWSL Challenge Cup."There's a couple of players that want a few more logistical things answered" first. Trying to get those answers over the next week.— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) May 29, 2020 But for Orlando, that doesn't include Morgan: "Duffy said Morgan will not travel with the Pride to compete in the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah next month. However, she said the striker is eager to return to the pitch and could play for the Pride if the league is able to schedule games following the tournament."
Morgan's absence does totally makes sense: apart from the fact that she actually gave birth a lttle later than when it was initially planned, she could have "forced" her recovery if it had been a question of making the Olympic roster: in this situation, I can see her trying to get back to full fitness anyway, but without the sense of urge she would have felt had Olympic Games been a possibility.
So apparently they'll be doing a "seeding draft" on Monday: You can stream CBS Sports HQ for FREE on the CBS Sports app or your OTT device like Roku or Apple TV or on @PlutoTV. You can also stream it here: https://t.co/hRaLxCSmwt— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 30, 2020
Well, actually, it turns out they're headed to Montana to train...yes, Montana: FWIW, this is the statement on the change of plans from Utah to Montana. pic.twitter.com/icwgulyJPP— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) May 31, 2020
What about international players? I assume a lot of them were already in USA when the limitations to international travels were put into place, but what about the other ones? For instance, OL Reign recently signed some players from Europe (Bouhaddi) or Asia (Momiki): will they manage to join the team in time to take part to the Challenge Cup in Utah?
Yes, they'll be permitted to re-enter the US; there's a special exemption in place for pro athletes that the NWSL is included in:
I have read and listened to a lot about the importance of the NWSLPA and player buy-in during the process. I have seen or heard nothing about the referees. Anybody?
The protocols for testing include the referees; they'll be tested before every game. I haven't seen anything specifically on how much PRO and the NWSL have been in communication, but it has been happening. There's an article on PRO's site that hints at what's been happening behind the scenes, but it looks more at PRO and MLS. But I'm assuming that some of the same communication happened with the NWSL: http://proreferees.com/2020/05/28/qa-howard-webb-we-need-to-do-things-when-the-time-is-right/ In that Q&A article, it implies that for a tournament situation like this one, the referees may also be living in the village under quarantine like the players. But I haven't seen anything about that for this Utah tournament; it'd be a good question to ask although I think pay then would need to be commensurate with having to be away from home for about 5 weeks.
In the testing protocols doc, I also just noticed that there will be a 7 day quarantine for any players arriving internationally before they can join any team activities or training. So, any players currently overseas will need to come in early to complete the quarantine.
Edit: I was wrote this before I saw @lil_one 's post - thanks for the link about refs. I have been thinking a little more about the refs. They need to be in shape, just like the players; and there are no games or scrimmages available to 'tune-up.' Will they get a pay bump to participate? The pool of available refs may shrink due to refs choosing not to participate. Will MLS refs get drafted, since no MLS games are currently scheduled? Will there be a Ref's Village, too? or is it expected they will fly in and out as the schedule calls for? What are the arrangements to get refs tested before going to Utah? I looked at the testing protocol and Refs are mentioned a couple of times, but the overall plan is formulated for players and club staff. Baseline Home Market & Utah Testing 1) 1 PCR antigen test (48-72 hours prior to group training) a. Players; b. Referees; c. NWSL & Club Staff Preseason Testing 1) Weekly PCR antigen testing 2) For teams traveling to Utah after preseason: 1 PCR antigen test (48-72 hours prior to travel) Tournament & Utah Preseason Testing 1) Day 0: ARUP will complete PCR antigen test for the entire travel party after arrival (within 24 hours)in Utah (For those teams traveling into Utah for or after preseason) 2) Game-day PCR antigen tests (within 24-48 hours of every game) a. Players, Club Staff, and Referee Staff; b. NWSL Staff (weekly) Return to Home Market Testing 1) PCR antigen testing 2) IgG antibody testing
Seeding draw happening live now on CBS Sports HQ. Just spent the last 10 minutes listen to commissioner Baird cover a range of topics and it can't be stressed enough how massive her hiring have been for the league.
This is what the first 3 days of match ups will be. I'm not sure what the remaining draw looks like. The NWSL have assured us that the draw was "random" but we ended up with NCFC vs Thorns as the first match up that will be on TV. I'm not mad exactly but just sad eye-ing them. From the brief snippet of that draw, Orlando is pretty much screwed. Reign playing SBFC though is always tricky.
The Reign just tweeted this as their prelimary schedule. That's a OK draw. Our 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Group Stage Matchups:Tuesday, June 30 vs Sky Blue FCSaturday, July 4 vs Washington SpiritWednesday, July 8 vs Utah RoyalsSunday, July 12 vs Portland Thorns FC— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) June 1, 2020
Full preliminary schedule: Here is the full preliminary schedule for the #NWSL Challenge Cup! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/00i6tyJ8tr— The Equalizer (@EqualizerSoccer) June 1, 2020
Alright, so the full prelim schedule is out.... Here's the Strength of Schedule sums for the teams, (i.e. larger #s = easier,) which I'll normalize by also adding in each team's finishing position from last year: 1. NC - POR+HOU+ORL+UTA=25 +1=26 2. CHI - ORL+UTA+HOU+NJ=30 +2=32 3. POR - NC+ORL+DC+RGN=23 +3=26 4. RGN - NJ+DC+UTA+POR=22 +4=26 5. DC - UTA+RGN+POR+HOU=20 +5=25 6. UTA - DC+CHI+RGN+NC=12 +6=18 7. HOU - NC+NJ+CHI+DC=16 +7=23 8. NJ - RGN+HOU+ORL+CHI=22 +8=30 9. ORL - CHI+POR+NC+NJ=14+23 Damn, the hosts got SCREWED, hardest schedule both before and after normalizing. CHI and NJ have the easiest scheduled relative to how they finished last year, and CHI is just easy in general.
I'm going to say the vertical nature of reading this schedule is throwing me off. Also first thoughts: Chicago has it pretty good, avoiding all of last year's playoff teams. Orlando has an uphill battle, and they were already long shots, imo.
Totally agree. She's been thrown in the fire, but the league has new, big-time sponsors this year, a year in which the only season might be this Utah tournament. Additionally, because the events are happening simultaneously, I can't help but see the difference between the way the league has seemed to deal with the NWSLPA versus the MLS with its PA right now. We all know there's still progress to be made, but I think we also need to give praise when it's due, and Baird is getting an A+ from me, so far.