Pride draw No. 9 seed, face uphill climb in Utah

The Orlando Pride received arguably the worst draw in the NWSL Challenge Cup, facing the top three finishers from the 2019 season.

Orlando will kick off against the Chicago Red Stars on June 27. It also will be the opening match of the entire tournament being staged in Utah.

The match — along with the championship — will be broadcast live on CBS. All other matches will be streamed on CBS All-Access.

After facing the Red Stars, the Pride will then play the Portland Thorns on July 1 and reigning champ North Carolina Courage on

July 5. The preliminary round will end with a match against Sky Blue FC on July 9.

The bottom finisher from the preliminary round will be eliminated from the tournament while the remaining eight teams will advance to a single-elimination stage.

The team seeds were selected via a computer-assisted drawing and unveiled Monday.

The league announced last week it was proceeding with staging the tournament, isolating teams in one location to limit potential exposure to the coronavirus. Participation is voluntary for all players due to safety concerns.

MARK THOR/ORLANDO PRIDE Orlando Pride defender Ali Krieger and her teammates drew the No. 9 seed in the league’s tournament in Utah. The Pride’s first match will be June 27 against the Chicago Red Stars.