The Chicago Red Stars came into the 2022 Challenge Cup with lots of questions and entered uncharted waters as the club hired a new head coach for the first time in a decade. Many of those questions were put to rest with a dominant 3-1 win on opening day in Houston. After conceding first, the Red Stars bounced back scoring three unanswered, with Mal Pugh scoring either side of the half.
“It was what we were hoping for,” said head coach Chris Petrucelli following his first win as a coach in professional soccer. “We are hoping to be a team that can create goalscoring chances, score goals, and be stingy defensively, and I think that is a good summary of the match.