If Saturday’s NWSL Challenge Cup quarterfinal matches are a fitting conclusion to the first two quarters on Friday, then you’re wasting your Saturday if you don’t watch the contests. A stellar method to make the action even more exciting is having some skin in the game.
Yesterday’s betting action boasted an epic upset, as the Portland Thorns were at +1100 underdog to the North Carolina Courage. In a similar fashion, there’s reason to believe in the biggest underdog of today’s action.
How to bet on Saturday’s NWSL Challenge matches
If you’re in or near one of 10 states, you can legally wager on NWSL Challenge Cup matches online; as long as you are of legal age (at least 21 in most states), physically located within the state’s borders (you do not have to be a legal resident of these states, merely in them when you place your bet), and are placing your wager(s) with an operator licensed by that state. Here are the states:
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Nevada
- New Hampshire (minimum age is only 18)
- New Jersey
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Retail sportsbooks in other states, like North Carolina and Washington, may offer lines on Saturday’s matches as well. The online sports betting brands that are offering lines on these matches in these states include:
- BetRivers (Sugarhouse in New Jersey)
- DraftKings
- Oregon Lottery Scoreboard
- PointsBet
- William Hill
If you’re new to these sportsbooks; you can register for an account online in just a few minutes and with a few pieces of information, except for in Iowa and Nevada. Those two states require bettors to visit a retail sportsbook associated with the sportsbook app of their choice to complete your registration.
Now that you’ve given the sportsbook some of your money, you would probably like to get it back with some profit to show for your trouble. There are some ways to make that happen in both matches.
Will Washington prove it’s the new favorite?
With North Carolina ousted, the Washington Spirit has an opportunity to establish themselves as the club to beat. Trying to repeat Portland’s effort yesterday will be Sky Blue FC. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS All-Access.
The sportsbooks’ consensus is that Sky Blue is a +300 underdog. The best line on Washington in a 3-way moneyline is -110. For bettors looking for another big payday, there’s reason to believe in Sky Blue today.
Sky Blue came into the seeding round with an emphasis on playing possession football and despite only winning one match, they delivered on that emphasis. The club ranked second in average possession time during the seeding round (14 seconds) and had the second-highest number of possessions of between five and 15 seconds (180).
In some ways, their contrast with the Spirit couldn’t be greater. Washington loved the long ball on passes, while Sky Blue’s average pass length was just 17 meters, shortest in the league. The reason the Spirit are favored in this match is their ability to beat Sky Blue at its own game.
No team averaged longer possessions than Washington during the seeding round (16.3 seconds), and the Spirit led the NWSL in possessions of 45 seconds or greater (24). If this match comes down to who holds on to the ball, the longest, Washington will move onto the semifinals.
Among props that I like for this match are Total Goals Under 1.5 (+215 at BetRivers/Sugarhouse and DraftKings) and William Hill has a +180 line on the Spirit being the only team to score in the match. If you’re looking for a Correct Score prediction, my pick is Washington 1-0.
Chicago – OL a hard nut to crack
The theme of the early match having a clear favorite with the nightcap posing some handicapping quandaries continues to Saturday. In some ways, the Chicago Red Stars and the OL Reign have been mirror images of each other in this tourney.
They will decide a winner at 10 p.m. ET on CBS All-Access, but it may prove just as tight of a match as Friday’s late draw. For example, Chicago and OL have been the two slowest clubs in terms of pace so far.
That similarity shows up in another aspect of the match, as the Red Stars and the Reign were the clubs who diversified the length and trajectory of their crosses the most. In the end, this match may come down to which club’s stars will come up big in pivotal moments.
Chicago forward Kealia Watt, although she has yet to score her first Red Star goal, tied for the fourth-most shots during the seeding round. In goal for the Red Stars, Alyssa Naeher recorded more saves than all but two other keepers.
Naeher may be busy again Saturday night. A pair of Reign forwards – 2019 Rookie of the Year Bethany Balcer and Darian Jenkins – applied a lot of pressure to opponents in seeding matches. Jenkins tied for second in terms of touches in the opposition’s box. While Balcer did the same in terms of shots per 90 minutes played.
Chicago is a slight favorite here (+125) on a 3-way moneyline. The action on a Reign win sits at +175. A draw at full time is +235 and may prove the way to go.
Among the props that caught my eye are the Red Stars to win and Total Goals Over 1.5 at +205 (PointsBet). The other is a William Hill line of +333 on a Chicago win with both sides scoring. For a Correct Score prediction, I’ll take a 1-1 draw in full time with the Red Stars winning on PKs.
Good luck on your wagers, enjoy the matches, and check back for some more betting previews closer to the semifinal match days.
