Report: NWSL owners want teams to play summer tournament at Real Salt Lake venues

The National Women’s Soccer League is planning a nine-team summer tournament in Salt Lake City when it starts its 2020 season, according to Washington Post reporter Steven Goff. The league’s owners voted in favor of it, but several high profile players are uncertain about participating, per the Post.

The league owners are looking to get the tournament going in July before other leagues have fully restarted. There is talk of airing the playoffs on CBS Sports platforms and streaming via Twitch. The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting the tournament would run from June 29 to roughly July 22, and be played at Rio Tinto Stadium and Zions Bank Stadium in Sandy, Utah and Herriman, Utah, respectively.

The plan, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, is for teams to stay in dormitories near Real Salt Lake’s training facility, and at some hotels. The entire US Women’s National Team competes in the NWSL, and they have concerns about health risks with a tournament.

“[M]ost women’s national team players haven’t decided whether to attend and are considering the plan given the serious challenges and health risks that are associated,” said a person familiar with the group, who requested anonymity because the players have yet to address the matter publicly.