Utah Royals FC Return To Competition September 20 Against Portland

SANDY, Utah – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced the first game of their Fall Series. Utah Royals FC will return to competition on Sunday, September 20 at Portland Thorns FC.

The game will be played at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. Kickoff for the game will be at 1 p.m. MT and will be streamed live on Twitch.

On August 25, the league announced their plans for the fall series. The NWSL implemented a regional pod system to cut down on travel. Each pod is made up of three teams.

🔙 to ⚽️ this weekend.#NWSLFallSeries schedule to highlight regional rivalries: https://t.co/CKeuBdJu05#NWSL pic.twitter.com/ahsF95Uh4h

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) September 1, 2020

The pods are the following:

West

OL Reign
Portland Thorns FC
Utah Royals FC

Northeast

Chicago Red Stars
Sky Blue FC
Washington Spirit

South

North Carolina Courage
Orlando Pride
Houston Dash

Utah will play four matches in the Fall Series. They will face Portland and OL Reign twice, including one match against each club at Rio Tinto Stadium.

The remaining three matches for the Royals will be announced in the coming week.

The league kicked off the season earlier in July with the Challenge Cup that was played at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah and Rio Tinto Stadium and Sandy, Utah. Utah Royals FC picked up a 1-2-1 record in group play before being eliminated in the first round of the tournament to the eventual champion Houston Dash.

The Challenge Cup results counted towards the regular season standings. The Royals are currently tied for fourth place with four points. They are tied with Houston, Chicago and Sky Blue FC. North Carolina is at the top of the table with 12 points in four games. Washington has seven points, sitting in second place and the OL Reign are in third place with 5 points.