Once again, it comes back around to Portland and North Carolina.
Thorns FC and the Courage have become two of the most successful clubs in the NWSL with the last three champions being one of the two teams – the Thorns won in 2017, lost to North Carolina in 2018 and the Courage won another title again last year.
By the classic luck of the draw, both teams opened preliminary round play in the NWSL Challenge Cup presented by P&G and Secret on CBS with the most-watched broadcast game in the league’s history.
Come Friday, both teams will face off, again, this time in the quarterfinals (9:30am PT, CBS All Access), having journeyed slightly different paths through Utah.