Chicago to appear six times on Lifetime Game of the Week, including three home matches

CHICAGO – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) unveiled today the 2017 broadcast schedule on Lifetime including a milestone package of 22 regular-season matches, both playoff semifinal games and the NWSL Championship game.

Featuring play-by-play announcer Jenn Hildreth, analyst Aly Wagner, host and sideline reporter Dalen Cuff as well as select appearances by analyst and sideline reporter Kate Markgraf, the NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime will air every Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET with a 30-minute pregame show leading up to kickoff at 4 p.m. ET.

The NWSL Game of the Week on Lifetime will also be available for live and on-demand streaming via the Lifetime iOS and Android apps and online at MyLifetime.com. In addition, international fans outside of the United States can watch live and on-demand streaming of the Game of the Week via NWSLsoccer.com.

The season opener on Lifetime will feature Portland Thorns FC playing host to the Orlando Pride on Saturday, April 15, with the pregame show starting at 2:30 p.m. ET and kickoff at 3 p.m. ET from Providence Park. In front of an expected raucous crowd of Portland supporters, the match will feature international stars from across the world, with U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder Tobin Heath and Canada international Christine Sinclair facing off against U.S goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and Australia international Alanna Kennedy.

The other marquee matchups this season include rematches of the 2016 NWSL semifinals between the Chicago Red Stars and the Washington Spirit on June 17 in the Windy City and the North Carolina Courage traveling to face the Portland Thorns on July 15. The Spirit and Courage will also stage a rematch of the 2016 NWSL Championship Game on Aug. 19. See below for the full schedule of the nationally televised games on Lifetime.

Jenn Hildreth – Play-By-Play
A versatile broadcaster who has covered women’s soccer as a play-by-play announcer, host, analyst and reporter, Hildreth served as play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup and has been filling the same role for ESPN’s coverage of college soccer, including the 2016 NCAA Women’s College Cup. She is well known to NWSL fans for announcing in the 2015 and 2016 seasons and Championship games. Hildreth’s resume also includes play-by-play duties for basketball, softball and gymnastics, as well as sideline reporting for football, basketball and baseball. In college, Hildreth played goalkeeper at Emory University, where she lettered in basketball, soccer and track and field.

Aly Wagner – Analyst
Former U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup athlete, Wagner served as an analyst on FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and currently works on their USWNT matches. Wagner was featured on-air talent at the 2017 NWSL College Draft. After winning the MAC Hermann trophy as the top women’s college soccer player in 2002, Wagner was the number one overall selection in the 2003 Women’s United Soccer Association Draft. She played professionally for several years in the WUSA and the Women’s Professional Soccer League.

Dalen Cuff – Pregame Host and Sideline reporter
As a host/reporter at Comcast SportsNet New England, Cuff covered Major League Soccer and the New England Revolution. He hosted “Revolution Post-game Live,” the Emmy nominated bi-weekly show, “State of the Revs,” and wrote for CSNNE.com. He worked for NBC Sports Network, most recently as part of NBC’s Olympics coverage in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games. A former basketball player at Columbia University, Cuff is currently a college basketball in-game and studio analyst for ESPN.

Kate Markgraf – Analyst and Pregame Host
An analyst for NBC Sports Group’s Premier League and USWNT coverage, Markgraf was a member of NBC’s Olympic soccer coverage for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She became the first women analyst to work a major men’s soccer tournament to air in the United States, during ESPN’s coverage of the 2016 European Championship. A former starting defender on the USWNT from 1998-2010, Markgraf earned two Olympic gold medals and a silver medal. In 1999, she won FIFA Women’s World Cup and went on to finish third in 2003 and 2007. She played professionally in the WUSA and WPS. Markgraf was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where as a member of the Fighting Irish soccer team, she was a three-time All-American.

2017 NWSL Broadcast Schedule:
(All times ET)

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is a ten-team Division-I women’s professional soccer league featuring national team players from around the world. The clubs are the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash, FC Kansas City, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC, and the Washington Spirit. Based in Chicago, the NWSL is supported by the Canadian Soccer Association and the United States Soccer Federation. For more information about the NWSL, log on to the league’s official website at www.NWSLsoccer.com.

— www.NWSLsoccer.com —