Fourteen of the 19 United States women’s national team federation players whose teams are eligible to play in the 2020 National Women’s Soccer League Challenge Cup are on their club’s respective rosters for the tournament, which kicks off on Saturday. Their presence in Utah is, on a basic level, only possible because the NWSL, its medical task force, the NWSL Players Association, and the USWNT Players Association worked together to devise a plan with as many health and safety protocols as possible as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
And for some United States players, an extra assurance made them even more comfortable participating in the Challenge Cup: U.S. Soccer’s sports scientists will help determine their load management.
The suspension of full-team NWSL training for over two months, and the quick turnaround to get ready for the Challenge Cup, created unprecedented circumstances. U.S. players felt more comfortable knowing U.S. Soccer would help manage that entry point into the tournament, so two of the federation’s sports scientists will be inside of the player bubble in Utah throughout the month-long tournament to monitor the wear and tear on national team players and provide feedback on their workloads.
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