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NWSL Challenge Cup: Examining how the Courage, Current and Thorns got off to strong starts in 2022

Published

2 years ago

March 31, 2022

The 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup continued Wednesday with the Kansas City Current extending their lead in the Central division after a 3-0 win against the Houston Dash. The North Carolina Courage, meanwhile, remain undefeated in the East after a 2-2 draw against the Washington Spirit, and the Portland Thorns are on top of the West after defeating Angel City FC, 3-0.

As the tournament reaches the halfway point, Challenge Cup action will continue Saturday before taking a break for the international window in April. Fans can watch 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup games live and on demand with Paramount+.

The east, west, and central division have leaders pulling away from the pack after three matches settled in the record books. Let’s take a look at the current group leaders.

Courage top the east

Head coach Sean Nahas and his squad are showing why the Courage are still going to be a threat in the league despite roster turnover during an expansion year.

The team had a two-goal lead in the first half against the Spirit before having to settle for a 2-2 draw against 2021 NWSL Champions Washington Spirit. The Courage quickly exposed the Spirit’s high line when Debinha connected on goal in the fifth minute.

The Spirit leveled out the match in the second half with a quicker tempo and utilized the wings to pull within one just ahead of the hour mark with a goal from Trinity Rodman, and, moments later, an equalizer from Ashley Hatch. Despite walking away from the match with the draw, the Courage currently lead the East with seven points.

It’s just the latest result for the a Courage side that entered 2022 with questions around their roster after key departures with Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams, among others. But the Courage’s attack by committee has begun to show early signs of progress just after a few weeks. The team has scored five goals by five different goal scorers in three Challenge Cup matches, and are in good position to exit the group as potential winners if they can get a result on Sunday against Gotham FC.

Current control the Central

After announcing that star striker Lynn Williams would miss the rest of 2022 with a season-ending hamstring injury, the team has made a number of adjustments over its last two matches to achieve results. The team was also without star midfielder Sam Mewis during Wednesday’s match due to a quick turnaround and Mewis’ minute restriction.

Head coach Matt Potter unleashed a five back formation on the road against the Houston Dash, where the Current were victorious in a 3-0 win as Taylor Leach, Kristen Hamilton, and Lo’eau LaBonta scored goals. The three-goal margin was the largest victory of margin for the franchise to date. It was just one record the club set during the evening, as Leach’s goal was also the quickest in Challenge Cup history.

The match also featured the debut of rookie Elyse Bennett, who recorded two assists during the match. The Washington State alum had an active night in the attacking line, creating three chances, and now leads all Current forwards in expected goals, averaging 1.24xG after just two games with one start.

These early examples show the Current’s ability to make adjustments in light of missing key players, and the club is now on top of the Central with seven points.

Thorns own the West

The Thorns defeated Angel City FC, 3-0, to take the lead in the West on Wednesday night. Sophia Smith, Yazmeen Ryan, and Morgan Weaver all scored goals in the victory. Head coach Rhian Wilkinson’s three back has been difficult for opposing teams to break down and as the Thorns rolled out in a 3-5-2 formation once more. Angel City had few answers to work out a result.

Angel City’s early efforts were no match for a Thorns attack with numbers in the middle and on the wings. Angle City’s DiDi Haracic sustained the Thorns offense for half hour before Smith scored the breakthrough goal in the 30th minute.

Drafted in 2019, Smith is off to quick start, solidifying her place among the Thorns’ offense and has become the new face of Portland’s attack in 2022. In three games, Smith has two goals and hefty expected goal rate with 2.57xG. While leading the team in goals and xG, she is also the team leader in total shots (10), shots on target (five), and chances created (four). Smith and the Thorns now lead the West with seven points with three games remaining in the tournament.

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Related Topics:Challenge Courage Cup Current Examining NWSL starts strong Thorns

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NFL Analyst Claims 2 Non-QBs Deserve ‘Serious MVP Consideration’

Published

3 mins ago

December 5, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The NFL MVP award is almost exclusively an award for players at the quarterback position, which is, without a doubt, the most important position on the field at all times.

Even though the award is given to quarterbacks more often than not, the 2023 NFL season might be a bit different, with no quarterback in the league being the obvious choice to win the regular-season award.

Fortunately, there are two players at other skill positions who are having MVP-caliber seasons, with Christian McCaffrey having an incredible season in his first full year with the San Francisco 49ers and Tyreek Hill putting on a show as the best player for the Miami Dolphins.

Despite the obvious MVP cases for Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa, who are definitely in the running to win the award, there’s no way either player is half as good without McCaffrey and Hill, respectively, helping shoulder the load offensively.

Ross Tucker of CBS Sports makes the case that McCaffrey and Hill should be in the running for MVP, via “The Jim Rome Show.”

.@RossTuckerNFL on why Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffrey both deserve serious MVP consideration. pic.twitter.com/SBELyLSeaV
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 4, 2023

At this point, it remains uncertain if McCaffrey and Hill can do enough to be put ahead of MVP candidates like Purdy, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott with only a few games left in the regular season.

There’s no question that these two superstars at running back and wide receiver should be in the conversation, but only time will tell if they’ll ultimately get serious consideration when the time comes to put it to a vote.

The post NFL Analyst Claims 2 Non-QBs Deserve ‘Serious MVP Consideration’ appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Nick Wright Issues A Warning To The Chiefs

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7 mins ago

December 5, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

After the Kansas City Chiefs were rocked by the Green Bay Packers on the road at Lambeau Field, many have started to wonder whether the defending Super Bowl champions are good enough this season to successfully defend their title or even make a deep run in the NFL playoffs.

Even though the team went on to win it all last year after shockingly trading superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, that trade is starting to come up in conversations as they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to bring in another pass-catcher to complement Travis Kelce in the passing game.

The Chiefs are no longer looked at as that elite team that figures out a way to win every week with few flaws to pick at as the mystique appears to be gone, and this season might end sooner rather than later as a result.

Nick Wright of FOX Sports, who has no problem talking about his love for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, believes the matchup with the Buffalo Bills will be crucial to how the season pans out for Kansas City, via “First Things First.”

"The game against the Bills is the biggest regular season game of the Mahomes era. If they win, they end the Bills & end up the 1-seed. If they lose, all of a sudden the mystique will be broken & the Arrowhead Invitational will officially be canceled."
— @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/RjwtqlRkqs
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 4, 2023

Even though the Chiefs aren’t the same dominant team of old, Kansas City can’t be ruled out as a legitimate Super Bowl title contender, as this team has been arguably the most resilient team in the league ever since Mahomes took over under center for Andy Reid.

The game against the Bills will be telling, as Wright points out, as everything will be on the line for Josh Allen and company, while everyone will be waiting to jump on the Chiefs if they lose a second straight game.

The post Nick Wright Issues A Warning To The Chiefs appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Chargers LB Has Strong Opinion On Win Over Patriots

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11 mins ago

December 5, 2023

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(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Heading into Week 13, the Los Angeles Chargers had to travel across the country in order to face the lowly New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium for a game that many anticipated would be a win for Justin Herbert and company.

Even though the Chargers inevitably got out of New England with a win, it wasn’t easy by any means, with the team struggling to score every time the football was in their hands.

Ultimately, Los Angeles came out on top with the team putting six points on the board while shutting out the Patriots’ offense in order to improve their record to 5-7 on the season.

On Monday, veteran Chargers linebacker Eric Kendricks made an appearance on “The Jim Rome Show” to talk about the game against the Patriots, which was a game dominated by defense.

.@EricKendricks6 on why yesterday's 6-0 "bloodbath" in Foxboro was actually one of his favorite games ever. pic.twitter.com/s6KSsBbkDg
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) December 4, 2023

Kendricks played a significant role in the win for the Chargers as he finished the game with 10 tackles and a sack as the Chargers were able to avoid losing to one of the worst teams in the league this season, with New England dropping to 2-10 on the year.

At this point, making a push for the NFL playoffs might be a stretch for the Chargers, especially considering the rest of their schedule is mostly against divisional opponents and one matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

The Chargers will take on the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders before facing the Bills and will finish the season slate on the road in Denver before their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The post Chargers LB Has Strong Opinion On Win Over Patriots appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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