Nobody would have predicted that the Dash would find themselves in the final, nevermind win the tournament before the Challenge Cup took place.
Just over one minute left
Three minutes of added time left...
GOOOOAL HOUSTON DASH
Groom finds herself one-on-one, and she rounds the goalkeeper before scoring into an open net
90' The Challenge Cup's underdogs are closing in on a victory
89' Juiliet Bingham replaces Bianca St.Georges
89' Not long left to go and Erin Simon receives a yellow card for a tackle.
Oyster brought down by Hill inside of the box and it's a free-kick for the Dash
Hanson picks up a yellow card for timewasting
78' Latsko replaces Visalli
Water break
75' Fifteen minutes to go, can the Dash gold on to it
68' Sharples departs the pitch in place of Zoey Goralski
67' McCaskill hits the free-kick and itis tipped over by Jane Campbell
66' Freekick for the Red Stars 20 yards out
Daly breaks through the Dash defence but her shot is deflected behind
It has now been confirmed that Sam Mewis' injury was to her left hamstring
63' It's a good delivery from Daly but it's just over the head of Kizer
Rachel Daly fouled at the byline 20 yards out and its a free kick for the Dash
Chicago Red Stars go forward but they're flagged for offside
Neither side have looked that good in this half and it doesn't seem like it will end up being a high scoring final
Official word from the NWSL is that it's still TBD whether this Challenge Cup Best XI will count toward allocation money eligibility.
54' Watt runs inside of the box but her shot is saved after it is deflected
Prince cannons down the right but her shot is nowhere near the goalkeeper
52' Hill goes forward but is adjudged to be offside
50' Daly strikes from range but it is a comfortable save
Two back-to-back corners are stopped by Naeher
Megan Oyster is currently playing with a broken rib. That is all.
49' Corner for the Red Stars
Teams coming back out
Both sides are coming back out now, with the second half fast approaching
Tournament best XI
Here's the official NWSL Challenge Cup best XI:
Half Time: Houston Dash 1-0 Chicago Red Stars
The Dash's early penalty goal is the only thing that separates the two as we go into the break
Not long left in the first half now
Two minutes of added time
Rachel Hill is taken down in her own box and the ball goes behind for a goal-kick
Red Stars have had quite a few opportunities but have lacked the clinical edge
It's a bad corner and the inswinger goes straight out
Corner is deflected behind for a goal-kick
Free-kick for the Red Stars going forwards after a handball from Naughton
Ball reaches Visalli at the back post but it is hit over the top of the net
Corner for Houston after Ertz puts the ball behind
Report is that Mewis' substitution was made for 'player welfare' which doesn't say much about what has happened
'34 Daley goes forward but is flagged up for offside
The players are back on the pitch now
Water break
It's a hydration break as the players leave the pitch
Seems like it might have been Mewis' hamstring. She leaves the pitch half an hour in in tears
Early substitution, Kristie Mewis goes off the pitch with what seems to be a knee injury and Cece Kizer replaces her
Prince drives through on the right, an appeal for a penalty but it is waved away
Johnson shoots from distance but it is stopped by Jane Campbell
Houston have struggled since scoring their early goal, they don't look comfortable sitting on top of a lead
Red Stars going forward a lot better now but still not troubling the goalkeeper
McCaskill goes forwards well but her shot is blocked by a Dash defender
Not much going on at the moment in the game, neither side look threatening in front of goal
It's end-to-end stuff at the minute, the Dash still looking the better of the two
17' Red Stars slowly finding their way into this game, going forwards well
Close!
McCaskill finds herself in front of an open goal from six yards out but hits the post
14' Daly really impressing from the start up front for the Dash
In case you missed it, there have been a total of 0 positive COVID-19 tests throughout the entire campaign
12' Dash holding the ball well at the back, passing it around their defence
9' Dash playing really well in the start of this game, focusing their attack down the wing. Red Stars barely getting into the opposition half
7' Prince breaks through on the right but her cross goes just over Visalli
Terrible defending from Chicago for the early penalty, dragging down an onrunning Mewis inside of the box.
GOOOOAL HOUSTON DASH
The dash grab the lead in the fifth minute as Schmidt scores her penalty
Sophie Schmidt steps up
PENALTY HOUSTON DASH
Mewis is taken down inside of the box and it's a penalty for the Dash. Yellow card for Sharples
The Dash get us started well, passing the ball around the back
1' We're underway"
The game has now kicked off
The national anthem is over and the teams are nearly ready to start
The vast majority of players take a knee as the national anthem is played
The teams are out!
Both teams are now out on the pitch
There's not long to go until kickoff in today's game
Bri Visalli stars
One player who has really impressed in the Challenge Cup has been Dash forward Bri Visalli.
Joining from Birmingham City in the Women's Super League where she was a regular in a side which had struggled in the 2019/20 campaign, she has played a key part of Houston's Challenge Cup so far
Red Stars gaining support from all of Chicago
The Red Stars have seen support from much of the city. The Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks and the city's mayor have all tweeted in support of the side ahead of their cup final today
Houston Dash: Starting Lineup
Here's how the Dash will line up in tonight's clash:
Here we go y'all. Everything on the line.#HoldItDown
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) July 26, 2020
Chicago Red Stars: Starting Lineup
The Red Stars have announced their starting lineup!
IT'S THE 'SHIP!
— Chicago Red Stars (@chiredstarsPR) July 26, 2020
Here's your starting XI for #HOUvCHI, presented by @meijer. pic.twitter.com/tddaJPL4as
First time for both sides
Still no lineups...
No matter who wins today, it will be a first NWSL victory for either side.
The Dash are the most surprising out of the two, with it being very unlikely that anybody would have predicted that they would find themselves in the final.
The Red Stars were last year's runners up and will be looking to take home the trophy to Chicago, but will they be able to defeat the underdogs?
45 minutes to go and we're still yet to receive the starting lineups
Full match preview
Ahead of today's game, why not read VAVEL's full preview of the match?
You can fnd it, written by Adam Millington, here
60 minutes to go
One hour until kickoff and we should have team news soon
How to watch on TV and Stream
For those in North America, CBS will have coverage of today's NWSL Challenge Cup final
If you are an international viewer, the game is available on Twitch.tv
Pre-match press conferences
You can watch both of the pre-match press conferences in the video embeds below
Not long to go!
There's just over ninety minutes until kickoff
Semi-final reminder
After a set of quarter-finals which saw only a single goal across all three matches, it was a very different event in the semi-finals.
The Dash booked their ticket in today's game with a 1-0 victory against the Portland Thorns, Rachel Daly scoring the only goal of the game.
Bianca St.Georges was the standout player for the Red Stars in their game against Sky Blue. She scored, assisted and created a goal as the Chicago side edged out a 3-2 win.
90 minutes to go
There's only 90 minutes left until the NWSL Challenge Cup final.
Stay tuned for all of VAVEL UK's LIVE coverage of Chicago Red Stars vs Houston Dash
Pride backing both sides
If there's been one common theme throughout the Challenge Cup, it's that whoever the Orlando Pride back loses their game.
However, there's been a twist for the final with the Pride choosing to 'stan' both. What will happen when Chicago play Houston?
A stan like no other. Introducing The Double Stan. #PrideStan | #NWSLChallengeCup https://t.co/mrSKYK2zsy pic.twitter.com/01X6nbmAHN
— Challenge Cup Stan Account (@ORLPride) July 25, 2020
Daly the MVP
Houston Dash defender Rachel Daly has been named as the NWSL Challenge Cup MVP for her performances so far in the tournament
🗣 MVP MVP MVP#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/flGVBTLQEP
— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) July 25, 2020
Team news
Here's the latest news on who will and won't be available for this evening's game
#NWSLChallengeCup final injury report for @chiredstarsPR and @HoustonDash. pic.twitter.com/eEcTaFzE84
— Meg Linehan 😷 (@itsmeglinehan) July 25, 2020
Game day!
It's game day and there are just over six hours to go until kickoff in Utah!
Will the Dash be able to pull off an upset and pick up their first-ever NWSL title?
Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for Chicago Red Stars vs Houston Dash.
Last meeting
The two last played each other in September of 2019, where the Red Stars were 3-0 victors over the Dash
How to watch Chicago Red Stars vs Houston Dash Live TV and Stream
If you want to watch the game on TV in the US, your options are: CBS, CBS All Access
If you want to directly stream it outside of the US: Twitch.tv
If you want to watch it on the internet, VAVEL UK is your best option!
Houston Dash: Predicted Lineup
Campbell; Hanson, Prisock, Naughton, Chapman; Groom, Mewis, Schmidt; Visalli, Daly, Prince
Chicago Red Stars: Predicted Lineup
Naeher; Goralski, St.Georges, Ertz, Gorden; Colaprico, DiVernardo, McCaskill; Johnson, Gill, Ohai Watt
Dash in first final
The Houston Dash have never before been in a normal NWSL final, or even in the playoffs.
However, they have come through as underdogs in this competition and put aside both the Utah Royals and the Portland Thorns in the knockout rounds of the Challenge Cup and now find themselves in their first-ever final.
Can Red Stars win first NWSL title?
Despite featuring in four out of the previous five NWSL playoffs, the Red Stars have not yet won a title.
They came their closest in the 2019 season when they faced the North Carolina Courage in the final, although they lost 4-0.
Will they be able to turn that form around on Sunday
Sunday's game will likely be the final women's football game in the United States for quite some time, with no news as to when the NWSL may return
Kick-off time
Chicago Red Stars vs Houston Dash will be played at the Zions Bank Stadium, in Utah, United States. The kick-off is scheduled at 17:30 BST.
Welcome
Welcome to VAVEL UK’s LIVE coverage of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final: Chicago Red Stars vs Houston Dash! My name is Adam Millington and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.com