Baird focused on safety and growing sport

Commissioner is hopeful the Challenge Cup will gain fans

The first match of the National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup will also mark another milestone for the league — the first match of NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird’s tenure.

As the first team sport to resume play in the United States, the NWSL is positioned to capture a new audience. But this moment hasn’t come without challenges. The Orlando Pride withdrew from the tournament on Monday due to a series of positive and inconclusive coronavirus test results, forcing the league to quickly revamp its tournament schedule.

With teams now set to kick off action on Saturday, here are highlights from an Orlando Sentinel interview with Baird about the tournament and what it means for the league:

Orlando Sentinel: How are you feeling now that you’re on the ground in Utah? Baird: “I’ve got a mixture of excitement and nerves. I remind everybody I’m still fairly new so this gonna be my first game as commissioner. Obviously I want it all to go over well. This is a whole new protocol and process for us. It’s things like schedules. You don’t think about this, but you’ve got to have people arrive exactly on time and leave exactly on time. Not five minutes early, not five minutes late. That’s where we’re in, we’re rolling and making sure everything is gonna be as smooth as possible.”

OS: The first NWSL teams didn’t begin to arrive in Utah for the tournament until