2023 NWSL Challenge Cup

2023 NWSL Challenge Cup

2023 UKG National Women's Soccer League Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Country	United States
Dates	April 19 – September 9
Teams	12
Defending champions	North Carolina Courage
Final positions
Champions	North Carolina Courage (2nd title)
Runner-up	Racing Louisville FC
Tournament statistics
Matches played	39
Goals scored	101 (2.59 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	Kristen Hamilton (5 goals)
MVP	Kristen Hamilton
← 2022 2024 → All statistics correct as of September 9, 2023.

The 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, known as the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons,^[1] was a league cup competition that took place during the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season.^[2][3] It was the fourth edition of the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament.

The 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup was the first time the NWSL Challenge Cup was played concurrently with the regular season, bringing it in line with most other league cup competitions worldwide.^[4][5] It was also the first edition under a multi-year sponsorship with UKG, which increased the pool of prize money to $1 million toward a goal of achieving equal compensation when compared to men's leagues and open cup competitions in the United States.^[6][7]

The North Carolina Courage defeated the Racing Louisville FC 2–0 in the final.^[8]

The 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup was a multi-stage tournament. All 12 NWSL teams participated in the Challenge Cup, and the tournament was played concurrently with the regular season.^[1] The tournament was split into three groups of four teams each, and each team played a six-game double round-robin with its group. Following the group stage, the top team of each group and the highest-placing group runner-up advanced to the single-elimination semifinals on September 6, with the winners competing in the final on September 9.^[1][9] Matches did not have extra-time periods, and semifinal and final matches drawn during regulation proceeded directly to kicks from the penalty mark.^[9]

Players in the four semifinal teams divide the tournament's $1 million pool of prize money. Sponsor UKG determined a prize pool of that size would draw the tournament's rewards closer to that of the men's MLS is Back tournament, which had a $1.1 million prize pool in 2020. For comparison, the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup prize pool was estimated to be about or less than $500,000.^[6]

A team's position in the divisional standings was determined by points, with three points awarded for a win, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. If two or more teams in the same group are tied on points at the end of the group stage, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied to determine the final group standings:^[9]

1. Greatest goal difference across all group stage matches.
2. Most goals scored across all group stage matches.
3. Direct head-to-head points record with teams involved in the tie.
4. Direct head-to-head goal difference in matches between teams involved in the tie.
5. Direct head-to-head number of goals scored in matches between teams involved in the tie.
6. Fewest disciplinary points accrued. Points will be awarded as follows, and players can receive only one disciplinary points assessment per match, with the highest taking precedent:
   1. yellow card: 1 point;
   2.   indirect red card (as a result of two yellow cards): 3 points;
   3. direct red card: 4 points;
   4.   yellow card and direct red card: 5 points.
7. If teams still could not be separated using the tiebreaking procedures, the NWSL would decide ranking using the random drawing of lots.

In the case of two or more teams from different divisions being tied on points at the end of the group stage, the competition follows the same procedure except for the use of the head-to-head scenarios by virtue of the fact teams from different divisions would not have played each other during the group stage.^[9]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		NC	NJY	WAS	ORL
1	North Carolina Courage	6	3	2	1	15	5	+10	11	Advance to knockout stage		—	1–1	6–0	0–0
2	NJ/NY Gotham FC	6	3	2	1	10	7	+3	11			2–0	—	1–0	1–1
3	Washington Spirit	6	3	0	3	10	13	−3	9			1–2	4–2	—	4–2
4	Orlando Pride	6	0	2	4	5	15	−10	2			1–1	1–3	0–1	—

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Pos	Team	Pld	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		KC	LOU	HOU	CHI
1	Kansas City Current	6	4	1	1	14	4	+10	13	Advance to knockout stage		—	3–0	3–1	4–0
2	Racing Louisville FC	6	4	0	2	10	6	+4	12	Advance to knockout stage based on ranking		3–2	—	3–0	2–0
3	Houston Dash	6	2	0	4	4	11	−7	6			0–2	1–0	—	2–0
4	Chicago Red Stars	6	1	1	4	3	10	−7	4			0–0	0–2	3–0	—

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Pos	Team	Pld	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		RGN	LA	POR	SD
1	OL Reign	6	4	2	0	7	0	+7	14	Advance to knockout stage		—	0–0	0–0	1–0
2	Angel City FC	6	2	2	2	7	8	−1	8			0–2	—	2–1	2–1
3	Portland Thorns FC	6	2	1	3	8	7	+1	7			0–1	3–2	—	4–1
4	San Diego Wave FC	6	1	1	4	4	11	−7	4			0–3	1–1	1–0	—

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The best second-placed team from the group stage advances to the knockout stage.

Pos	Grp	Team	Pld	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Central	Racing Louisville FC	6	4	0	2	10	6	+4	12	Advance to knockout stage
2	East	NJ/NY Gotham FC	6	3	2	1	10	7	+3	11
3	West	Angel City FC	6	2	2	2	7	8	−1	8

In the knockout stage, the semifinals occurred on September 6 and the final took place on September 9.^[1]

	Semifinals					Championship
	1	OL Reign	0
	4	Racing Louisville FC	1
						4	Racing Louisville FC	0
						3	North Carolina Courage	2
	2	Kansas City Current	0
	3	North Carolina Courage	1

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A.^ Match was interrupted and delayed approximately three hours by inclement weather. Attendance numbers were therefore imprecise and unreported.^[10]

There were 101 goals scored in 39 matches, for an average of 2.59 goals per match.

5 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: NWSL

Statistics do not include penalty-shootout goals.

A player is automatically suspended for the next match in the tournament for the following offenses:^[9]

• Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offenses);
• Receiving two yellow cards in two matches, unless the second yellow card was accumulated in the final match of group play;
• Direct red card suspensions that can't be served during the tournament will be carried over to the NWSL regular season, but suspensions as a result of indirect red cards will not.

Manaka Matsukubo was awarded the MVP of the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup final match,^[8] and Kristen Hamilton was named the overall MVP of the tournament.^[11]

Named to the All-Tournament team:^[12][13]

Pos.	Player	Club
GK	Katie Lund	Racing Louiville FC
DF	Malia Berkely	North Carolina Courage
	Abby Erceg	Racing Louiville FC
	Shae Holmes	OL Reign
	Jenna Nighswonger	NJ/NY Gotham FC
MF	Debinha	Kansas City Current
	Savannah DeMelo	Racing Louiville FC
	Jaelin Howell	Racing Louiville FC
FW	Kristen Hamilton	Kansas City Current
	Brittany Ratcliffe	North Carolina Courage

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