Fansided

USWNT players enter final weekend in NWSL before France

By Jordan Small

The Orlando Pride's Alex Morgan during an NWSL game against the Chicago Red Stars at Orlando City Stadium on August 25, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
The Orlando Pride's Alex Morgan during an NWSL game against the Chicago Red Stars at Orlando City Stadium on August 25, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) /
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The second week of the NWSL brought us a lot of goals and some pretty interesting games. Now Week 3 is here, with four games on the slate.

With the World Cup just over a month away, the USWNT players will see their last action of the NWSL season prior to the big tournament in France. Washington will be the team with the break this week with two games on Saturday and two on Sunday. Let’s take a look at what Week 3 will bring us in the NWSL.

Game to watch

There are three teams at the top of the table tied with four points. North Carolina and Houston will battle on Sunday for a chance at the top spot in the table. Both teams have had one win and one tie through the first two weeks. This will be the last game for the USWNT players on both teams prior to France. The Canadians will reportedly still have one more weekend before they too are off to training camp.

North Carolina has proved to be a powerhouse once again this season, scoring six goals in their first two matches including five in a midweek matchup with Orlando. Houston on the other hand has kept things tight with a 1-1 tie in Week 1 and a 1-0 win in Week 2. This will be a challenge for Houston’s defense as they have yet to really be tested against an offense like the Courage. The matchup between the Courage and the Dash will be a great end to a four-game weekend.

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Player to watch

One player to watch this weekend will be Alex Morgan. Morgan and the rest of the Orlando Pride attack hasn’t been great to start off this season. In three games, they have just one goal which came by their center-back in Alanna Kennedy via a bicycle kick. In her last game representing Orlando for a while, Morgan will be going up against Becky Sauerbrunn and the defense of the Utah Royals. It will be interesting to see if Morgan can spark the offensive light in Orlando prior to leaving to prepare for France.

Schedule

Saturday, April 20
Orlando Pride vs. Utah Royals – 7:30 p.m. ET – Orlando, Florida
Chicago Red Stars vs. Reign FC – 8:00 p.m. ET – Bridgeview, Illinois

Sunday, April 21
Sky Blue FC vs. Portland Thorns – 6:00 p.m. ET – Piscataway, New Jersey
Houston Dash vs. North Carolina Courage – 6:00 p.m. ET – Houston, Texas

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