Pride open NWSL Challenge Cup against Louisville
The Orlando Pride will open the NWSL Challenge Cup on April 10, traveling to Kentucky to face Racing Louisville at Lynn Family Stadium.
The match will mark the team’s first opportunity to compete in the tournament after withdrawing last year due to COVID-19 concerns. Although the team played four friendlies in the NWSL Fall Series, this will be the first competitive match for the Pride since the 2019 season.
Following the opening game, the Pride will return to Orlando for the next two matches of the tournament, hosting Sky Blue FC on April 14 and the Washington Spirit on April 21.
Both games will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.
The club will allow fans to attend the games at Exploria Stadium, which will operate at reduced capacity. Season ticket holders can purchase tickets during a presale window that begins Wednesday at 2 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 2 p.m. Thursday via Ticketmaster.
The Pride will complete the tournament with a 7:30 p.m. road match against the North Carolina Courage on May 1.
Competition for the 2021 Challenge Cup is divided into East and West divisions. The Orlando Pride’s four matches take place against the other four teams in the East Division. The teams that finish with the most points in the East and West will face off in the May 8 tournament final, which CBS will broadcast.
The Louisville and Washington matches will be available to view on Paramount+, while the Sky Blue and North Carolina games will air on CBS Sports Network. The tournament will be available to international viewers via live stream on the league’s Twitch channel.
Several of the Pride’s top players could miss the majority of the tournament due to international duty for the U.S. national team, which will play two matches in Europe on April 10 and 13. Captains Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger and star striker Alex Morgan could be called up for the international window.