OL Reign returns to Lumen Field on Wednesday night for the club’s second NWSL Challenge Cup match of 2023. After defeating Angel City FC 2-0 in the Challenge Cup opener — thanks to a Jordyn Huitema goal and Jess Fishlock deflected shot — OL Reign is now hosting the LA-based club for round two. The match kicks off at 7 PM PT.

The Challenge Cup game will air for free on CBS Sports Golazo Network, a new 24-hour free streaming soccer channel, in addition to streaming on Paramount+ for fans in the U.S., TSN+ in Canada, and the NWSL website for international viewers.

In regular season play, Angel City is 1-2-2 and has scored eight goals while conceding 10. OL Reign has a 3-1-1 record and has scored 10 goals while conceding five. But this isn’t a regular-season match, and anything can happen in the Challenge Cup.

After one match, OL Reign currently sits at the top of the West group in the Challenge Cup. San Diego sits in second after a 1-0 win over Portland. OL Reign will round out the group stage of the Challenge Cup with home and away matches against San Diego and Portland. The winner of each group (West, Central, East) will advance to the Challenge Cup semifinals in September, with the group runner-up with the most points filling the final semifinal spot.

Both OL Reign and Angel City had regular-season road matches over the weekend. OL Reign came away with a 2-2 draw against Racing Louisville in what was arguably their worst team performance in the last couple of years.

Angel City, meanwhile, had the task of playing at Portland, a team at the top of the table that has started strongly. After going up 3-2 in the 79th minute, Angel City ultimately settled for a draw after Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby scored on a corner kick in the 7th minute of stoppage time. It was an unfortunate ending for the road team, who should still be incredibly proud to score three goals at Providence Park and to frustrate the first-place Thorns.

“Anyone who can go to Portland and score three goals, you would think would come away with a result. They’re obviously dangerous off set pieces, scored an early goal, and then Portland worked their way back into it,” OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey said in a pre-match press conference. “Angel City, they’re a good side, they play good football. Scoring goals has maybe been the thing they haven’t, maybe, hit the nail on doing yet, but they did on Saturday night. So, I’m sure that they’re going to lean on that in their preparation for this game.”

As Harvey mentioned, Angel City is a threat on set pieces. They have the second-highest expected goal total from set plays — and three of the team’s eight regular-season goals have come from set pieces.

Like Louisville, Angel City is a team that likes to press. It will be important for OL Reign’s rotated squad to respond with crisp passing and more energy than the team’s performance against Louisville over the weekend.

Unfortunately, the Reign continue to deal with some injury challenges. After the Reign’s draw in Louisville, Harvey confirmed that Rose Lavelle’s knee injury is worse than they first anticipated when she returned from U.S. women’s national team duty. While it’s not an injury that will keep Lavelle out for the season, she will still be out for “a couple more weeks.” The other injured players are still working their way back as well, which means that while OL Reign would like to rotate a lot in the Challenge Cup, Harvey doesn’t have her full suite of players available to do that.

Angel City is dealing with its own set of excused absences and injuries and will be without their latest addition, Julie Ertz.

The good news is that Luany, who joined the squad after the season started, is close to full fitness and Harvey indicated she may see the field on Wednesday.

For fans who plan to attend the Challenge Cup match in person, you’ll have a bit of an unexpected royal surprise. OL Reign announced that tomorrow’s match is sponsored by Netflix’s Queen Charlotte/Bridgerton, complete with a 12-piece orchestra, scarf giveaway, and photo booth. The same promotion has been moving up the West Coast, with appearances at San Diego, Angel City, and Portland matches earlier in the year.

After their Challenge Cup match, OL Reign are back home on Saturday, May 6, with a match against the Houston Dash. Kickoff for that match is 7 PM PT.

Injury / Availability Report

OL Reign

OUT: Angelina (SEI – knee), Rose Lavelle (leg), Phoebe McClernon (back), Quinn (leg), Olivia Vander Jagt (excused absence)

Angel City

OUT: Simone Charley (SEI – achilles), Julie Ertz (excused absence), Sydney Leroux (ankle), Merritt Mathias (knee), Mackenzie Pluck (excused absence), Christen Press (SEI – knee)

QUESTIONABLE: M.A. Vignola (illness)

Lineups

Highlights

8’ - Tziarra King off the post!

48’ - A gorgeous ball from Bethany Balcer! So close for Olivia Athens

63’ - Ryanne Brown with a goal-line header clearance for OL Reign!

How to Watch

Date/Time: Wednesday, May 3 at 7 PM PT

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

TV: N/A

Streaming: CBS Sports Golazo Network (FREE), Paramount+ (U.S.), TSN+ (Canada), and NWSLSoccer.com (International)

Join the Discussion

This is your OL Reign versus Angel City Challenge Cup gamethread. Join the discussion in the comments, and follow @RoValks on Twitter for live updates.