Confidence is riding high entering Cup final
The Chicago Red Stars fought their way back into their second consecutive championship match, setting up a showdown with the Houston Dash on Sunday in the final of the NWSL Challenge Cup.
And with last year’s 4-0 loss to North Carolina in the league final still leaving a bitter taste, the Red Stars are determined to take control of the Cup final. Kickoff is at 11:30 a.m. in Sandy, Utah, and will air nationally on CBS.
Scoring was a major concern for the Red Stars early in the tournament, with the team scoring
NWSL CHALLENGE CUP FINAL Red Stars vs. Dash 11:30 a.m. Sunday in Sandy, Utah, CBS-2
only twice during their first five matches. A 3-2 semifinal win over Sky Blue FC gave the Red Stars a surge of momentum entering the final.
“We’re building at the right time, and our movements in the attacking third are starting to click and we’re starting to really learn each other,” forward Savannah McCaskill said. “It’s hard to devel
op those relationships in a very short time. Usually you have an eight-month season to build for this moment, to build to a final.”
Despite their growing confidence, the Red Stars have been hit hard by injuries. They lost seven players for the final: Tierna Davidson, Casey Short, Morgan Gautrat, Yuki Nagasato, Alyssa Mautz and Arin Wright. Dani Colaprico and Zoe Redei are listed as questionable.
The Red Stars will rely on NWSL veterans Julie Ertz and Kealia Watt to guide younger players who aren’t typically in the starting lineup. Coach Rory Dames said this is just another part of the uniquely taxing experience of the Challenge Cup.
“All of the circumstances that are included here, everything that you’ve gone through to get here, to stay here, to be here — at this point it’s just about survival,” Dames said. “You’re playing your third game in eight days at the back end of seven. Going through eight months and getting yourself to a final is a whole different experience than going through it (in) a month.”
For Watt, the final match will have an added edge as she faces her former team after playing five seasons in Houston. Although she’s a newcomer to the Red Stars, Watt said Sunday’s match will be an important moment representing her new city.
“Before this tournament, there was a lot going on in Chicago, and it was difficult,” Watt said. “This whole build-up and everything that our country and cities have been going through really makes this special because, I mean, there was a point where we didn’t know if we were going to play soccer at all this year. We think of that as we play and we represent Chicago proudly.”
With significant roster turnover and a slew of injuries, Dames understands that the Red Stars will be challenged Sunday. But he refused to adopt the underdog mentality that teams from Houston to North Carolina have used as motivation.
As the Red Stars prepares for the Dash, Dames said confidence will be key in keeping his team’s offensive possession and aggression alive.
“We’re always confident in our group,” Dames said. “That’s why we don’t ever take on the underdog title. If you’re an underdog to somebody, that means you’re inferior to them, and I don’t think that our group feels that we’re inferior to anybody. …
“We feel that we can play and compete with anybody and we always have.”