2019 is nothing like 2018.
Sure, the North Carolina Courage and Olympique Lyonnais Féminin are set for a rematch in the first place match to determine the best women’s club side in the world. Yes, everyone is going to keep saying how these games don’t matter because the European teams are still in preseason. Lyon is coming off of their fourth-straight UEFA Women’s Champions League title, which is one more than they had the last time these teams met.
But whatever the similarities, this year feels different. When the Courage faced off against Lyon in the inaugural ICC Women’s Tournament in Miami last year, they had no chance of winning.