The most competitive National Women’s Soccer League regular season to date is in the books and now comes the encore: the playoffs.
Six teams will compete in the single-elimination postseason tournament, and while the San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns have byes as first- and second-place finishers respectively, their home-field advantage is ostensibly mitigated by the NWSL’s ongoing scheduling strife. The Wave and Thorns must wait three weeks to return to action due to an international break that is sandwiched into the playoff schedule.
OL Reign hosts Los Angeles-based Angel City FC on Friday in Seattle for the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup, while third-place finisher North Carolina Courage hosts No. 6 seed NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday. The winner of the game in Seattle takes on NWSL Shield-winners San Diego in the semifinals, while the Thorns will host either North Carolina or Gotham.
The NWSL Championship will be played on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
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