The National Women’s Soccer League announced the remainder of the schedule on Thursday, two days after releasing a partial piece.
The League’s breakout 2020 season will continue on Sept. 5 with the Washington Spirit taking on Sky Blue FC at 1 p.m. ET.
CBS will televise five Games of the Week throughout the competition, and more games will be available on CBS Sports Network and CBS All Access. The fall series will take place from Sept. 5 to Oct. 17. The league divided the nine franchises into three pods to reduce travel. Here are the pods:
West:
- OL Reign
- Portland Thorns FC
- Utah Royals FC
Northeast:
- Chicago Red Stars
- Sky Blue FC
- Washington Spirit
South:
- North Carolina Courage
- Orlando Pride
- Houston Dash
CBS will screen a Game of the Week every Saturday in September and the final game on Oct. 17. Moreover, CBS Sports Network will broadcast games three Games of the Week on Saturdays in October. And finally, CBS All Access will provide exclusive coverage of four games as well as the CBS broadcast coverage in September. Twitch will stream seven games globally, including in the U.S., and every game internationally. Here is the schedule for the 18 matches:
Play-by-play announcer Jenn Hildreth and color commentator Lori Lindsey will call the NWSL Games of the Week on CBS and CBSSN. Lindsey will also join play-by-play announcer Mike Watts for the exclusive CBS All Access matches. And Sports broadcaster Marisa Pilla will return to be up and close to the action on the sidelines ready with information like she did in the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Given the success of health protocols during the Challenge Cup, the NWSL will continue to work closely with its medical task force. The protocols have been molded to fit home-market matches and regional travel. Moreover, the protocols have been divided into four subsets: PEE Protocol; Standards for Cleaning, Disinfection and Sanitation; Competition Protocol; Positive Test Result Protocol.