Just 44 days before the first game of the season, the NWSL released its 2023 schedule. Here’s what you need to know:
- The season kicks off on March 25. The North Carolina Courage will host the Kansas City Current and the San Diego Wave will host the Chicago Red Stars on opening day.
- The Kansas City Current will face the defending champion Portland Thorns in a rematch of the 2022 NWSL title game on April 1.
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The NWSL will have a decision day, Oct. 15, where every team will play on the final day of the regular season at 5 p.m. ET.
- Broadcast details for the season are yet to be announced.
It’s a new season!
Let’s gooooooo 🏆
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) February 8, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What was the holdup?
There are a lot of moving parts to making a schedule, and NWSL has its own complicating factors built in, primary among them that most of the teams do not control their venue. These teams are secondary tenants, often partnering with MLS teams. That means that MLS has to make their schedule first (MLS’ 2023 regular-season schedule came out Dec. 20, 2022) and then the NWSL teams have to work around those dates. A source with knowledge of the scheduling process also said that most MLS teams prefer to black out anywhere from 24 to…
