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The Tokyo Olympics are in high gear but the National Women’s Soccer League rolls on this weekend with five regular-season matchups. Fans can watch games across CBS platforms and games this weekend will feature on Paramount+.
Among the five games are on the docket, the North Carolina Courage and the Orlando Pride will kick things off on Saturday, followed by a late-night meeting between OL Reign and Racing Louisville FC. We have a tripleheader on Sunday as Portland Thorns FC welcome Kansas City NWSL to Providence Park, Chicago Red Stars host Washington Spirit, and Houston Dash face NJ/NY Gotham FC.
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Here’s how to watch and what to know about the games this weekend:
How to watch
(All times U.S./Eastern)
Saturday, July 31
North Carolina Courage vs. Orlando Pride, 7 p.m. (Paramount+)
OL Reign vs. Racing Louisville FC, 10 p.m. (Twitch)
Sunday, Aug. 1
Portland Thorns FC vs. Kansas City NWSL, 3 p.m. (Paramount+)
Chicago Red Stars vs. Washington Spirit, 6 p.m. (Paramount+)
Houston Dash vs. Gotham FC, 7 p.m. (Paramount+)
Courage and Pride try to snap skid
Something’s got to give between these two. Orlando, a team that started the season on a seven-game unbeaten streak, could wrap up the month of July without a win as it is in the midst of a five-game winless skid (0-1-4). The last win came on June 23 against bottom-feeders Kansas City in a game where they Brazilian Olympian Marta come off the bench and score from inside the halfway line. As for the Courage, they are on the hunt for a win in their last three games (0-1-2), with their last win actually coming against the Pride on Fourth of July.
Orlando will play its first game with interim head coach Becky Burleigh after Marc Skinner was appointed the new manager of Manchester United. And after a big midseason trade, North Carolina could have Amy Rodriguez make her consecutive start.
OL Reign aim to build win streak
The Reign are coming off a 2-0 win against against Orlando Pride and will try to notch two consecutive wins for the first time this season. Racing Louisville FC have gone without a win in their past three matches and are coming off a 2-0 loss against Portland at home in Kentucky. The Reign have an impressive midfield and have depth on the sideline as well, so look for a Louisville side to try and sit and counter as the visiting side on the road in a narrow pitch.
Portland tally points in Olympic stretch
The Thorns have had an impressive run of games during the Olympic portion of the league schedule and are unbeaten in their last four matches picking up 10 points out of a possible 12 to get a tighter hold of first place in the standings. The current rotating attack of Morgan Weaver, Simone Charley, Sophia Smith and Marissa Everett has provided different looks in front of goal while Angela Salem and Rocky Rodriguez hold things down in the midfield.
Chicago and Washington familiar foes
This will be the third regular-season meeting between these two sides and the second in four weeks. Chicago recently had its three-game win streak snapped last week to Gotham FC and the team is looking to get the offense going again after forcing five own goals over that span. The Spirit are coming off a 2-0 win against Louisville, and forward Ashley Hatch continues her impressive scoring run with six goals over 10 games played this season.
Houston and Gotham go head to head
At 16 points, the sixth-place Dash will try to make a big jump in the standings against a second-place Gotham side that’s only three points ahead. This will be the first meeting between the two sides since the regular-season opener back in May. Houston’s midfield will have work to do against Gotham’s Allie Long and McCall Zerboni, both midfielders have scored in the previous two games for Gotham.