NWSL Playoffs Start Sunday; Carli Lloyd Possibly Playing In Last Match

(CBS New York) — The National Women’s Soccer League playoffs footwear disconnected this Sunday, November 7. The enactment starts with quarterfinal matchups betwixt the fourth-seeded Chicago Red Stars and fifth-seeded NJ/NY Gotham FC and betwixt the third-seeded Washington Spirit and sixth-seeded North Carolina Courage. The erstwhile matchup volition aerial connected CBS Sports Network and the second connected Paramount+.

The Red Stars, led by Mallory Pugh, Casey Krueger, Sarah Gorden and Kealia Watt, volition beryllium making their sixth-straight playoff appearance. Gordon, 1 of the team’s apical defenders, played each infinitesimal of the team’s 24 matches this season. Gotham FC features shot fable Carli Lloyd, who is retiring aft the season.

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The 2021 Golden Boot victor Ashley Hatch leads the Spirit against the Courage, featuring prima rookie Trinity Rodman and goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who has recorded 11 cleanable sheets this season.

The Portland Thorns FC topped the regular-season standings with a grounds of 13-6-5, followed intimately by the OL Reign astatine 13-8-3. The Reign were NWSL’s top-scoring team. Both person earned a quarterfinal bye. Portland volition look the victor of the Chicago-NJ/NY matchup. OL volition conscionable the victor of the Washington/North Carolina matchup. Both semifinal matchups volition instrumentality spot Sunday, November 14 connected CBS Sports Network.

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The NWSL finals volition beryllium played Saturday, November 20 connected CBS.

The Courage volition beryllium playing for their 3rd consecutive NWSL playoff rubric aft winning the title successful 2018 and 2019. The 2020 regular play and playoffs were cancelled due to the fact that of the COVID pandemic. (The League did play a 25-game tourney that summer, known arsenic the Challenge Cup, arsenic good arsenic the Fall Series a fewer months later.) Chicago, who fell to North Carolina successful the 2019 championship, instrumentality to the playoffs arsenic well, seeking a amended outcome.

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Gotham FC appears successful the postseason for the archetypal clip since 2013 and the Spirit for the archetypal clip since 2016, erstwhile they made the championship.