Born of necessity in pandemic, NWSL Challenge Cup has become marquee event for women's soccer

Now in its third year, the NWSL's Challenge Cup has become one of the most highly anticipated and important tournaments on the women's pro soccer calendar. 

Two years ago, while the NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball were still struggling to deal with how to operate in the global pandemic, the NWSL became the first U.S. professional sports league to return to action in. Its first Challenge Cup held in Utah in late June, earned rave reviews and the round-robin competition became the template that other pro sports leagues used for their respective "bubble tournaments." 

The Challenge Cup became so successful that the NWSL decided to bring it back last year as a special pre-season competition with games played in all 10 home markets. This year's Challenge Cup kicks off on Friday, and has grown to 12 teams with the additions of expansion franchises Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC. The winner of the East, West and Central divisions, as well as the best second-place team overall, advance to the semifinals. The final is slated for May 7, slightly overlapping with the start of the NWSL regular season on April 29. 

Initially conceived as a way to salvage the NWSL's 2020 season during the pandemic, the Challenge Cup has turned into a valuable property for the league, with games airing live on CBS Sports' platforms and Twitch.

Kansas City Current midfielder Desiree Scott , from Winnipeg, has been impressed with how the Challenge Cup has become such a marquee event over such a short period of time. 

"You normally come into this tournament thinking it's kind of a warm-up for the regular season, but it's also a chance for a trophy and there's prize money on the line," Scott told CBC Sports. "Here in Kansas City, we've really