Hurricane Florence’s impending strike to the Carolinas forced the National Women’s Soccer League to reschedule its semifinal match between the North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars. The match, originally scheduled for Sunday in Cary, N.C., will be played at 9 p.m. ET at Providence Park in Portland, Ore.
The uncertainty surrounding the match earlier this week put a strain on coaches and players trying to prepare. Both the Portland Thorns and the Red Stars offered up their home fields to host the game. The league decided to go with the neutral territory, rather than hand Chicago the home-field advantage North Carolina earned by finishing first in the regular season.
“The NWSL worked in partnership with North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars to make the decision in the best interests of the safety and well-being of fans, players and staff,” read a statement released by the league Thursday evening.
The match will be broadcast live on ESPNEWS and will be streamed live on the ESPN App. International fans can watch the game on the NWSL app and NWSLsoccer.com. General admission tickets are on sale for $10.
The other semifinal between the Portland Thorns and Seattle Reign will also be played at Providence Park, Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, as will the Sept. 22 championship match.