The NWSL has decided to move the semifinal between North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars to Providence Park in Portland on Tuesday at 8pm CT on ESPNEWS due to the oncoming arrival of Hurricane Florence. The NWSL released the following statement on Thursday afternoon.
“The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced today that the North Carolina Courage vs. Chicago Red Stars semifinal game on Sunday, Sept. 16 has been moved due to the pending arrival of Hurricane Florence.
“Due to uncertainty of the impact of the storm in North Carolina, the NWSL worked in partnership with North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars to make the decision in the best interests of the safety and well-being of fans, players and staff.”
The Red Stars had initially offered to host the match, but “no real plan” came to fruition. Also, the Fire are scheduled to play at 4pm on Sunday in Bridgeview.
Tickets for the NWSL Semifinal match will be $10 general admission and are now on sale by calling (888) 736-6849 or online at https://nwsl.us/2Ogbz3Z.
THOUGHTS: This ended up being the least of several not-at-all ideal options for the league. They could have moved the match to Bridgeview, but it essentially robs Courage fans of a home game to a team that finished 20 points behind them in the table.
Essentially, the entire NWSL playoffs will be in Portland with the Thorns hosting the Seattle Reign on Saturday (2pm CT, Lifetime) and getting three days more rest than the winner of the other semifinal. The Championship match will be in Portland on September 22nd (1:30pm, Lifetime).
The NWSL has had issues with conditions this season from wildfires affecting the air quality during matches in Seattle and Portland where matches were de facto played in 15-minute periods.
The Courage and Red Stars had a match delayed two hours on the 4th of July due to storms as lightning delays have affected the Red Stars at home as well.
If the NWSL can be faulted for one thing, it’s waiting until Thursday to make the decision and not giving an indicator of who would be making the decisions regarding this semifinal. This is very disadvantageous to the Courage who have to travel cross country for a match that would otherwise be at WakeMed Soccer Park.
As for the Red Stars, it’s just another quirk in a season that has been marked by quirky scheduling. The league really needs to smooth things out for the 2019 fixture list, especially considering next year’s Women’s World Cup.
