The Houston Dash’s 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars aired at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on CBS and drew 653,000 viewers, making it the most watched NWSL match in league history.
While the Chicago Red Stars featured some well known U.S. women’s national team stars, the match was not stacked with reigning World Cup champions on the pitch. Cup champion Houston does not have a USWNT allocated player on its roster.
The final exceeded the previous NWSL high mark, an average of 572,000 viewers who watched the opening Challenge Cup match between the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage.