Racing Louisville is back at home at 8 p.m. Wednesday, hosting the Houston Dash at Lynn Family Stadium in a UKG NWSL Challenge Cup group stage match.
The game will be streamed on Paramount+ and is this year’s Pups at the Pitch theme night, with Racing’s many four-legged friends expected to be in attendance.
This year’s Challenge Cup runs concurrently with the NWSL regular season, with all 12 teams competing in three groups through August and the semifinals and final set for early September. A $1 million pot will be shared among the players on the four semifinalists.
Houston is the last game in Racing’s first round robin of the tournament group stage. Louisville will play the Dash in a home-and-home series, along with fellow Central Division rivals Chicago and Kansas City. The winner of the each group qualifies for the semifinals, along with the top-performing second-place team.
Racing (2-0-0, 6 points) already bested Chicago and Kansas City in group play, building a three-point lead atop the Central Division. The Louisvillians are the only team left in the competition with 100% points from their games, albeit only one-third of the way through the opening round.
Savannah DeMelo, the NWSL Player of the Month in May, has two goals so far in the Challenge Cup, while Uchenna Kanu scored her first goal in lavender and mint in Racing’s end-of-May win at Chicago. Midfielder Ary Borges and forward Parker Goins have also scored for Racing in the competition.
Houston (1-1-0, 3 points) dropped its Challenge Cup opener to Kansas City, but the Dash bounced back with a win over Chicago. Houston is led by young forward Diana Ordoñez (two regular-season goals) and fellow Mexican international Maria Sanchez, who leads the team in goals (3) and assists (2).
This will be the second meeting between Racing and the Dash this year. The teams played to a scoreless draw in the season opener on March 26 in Houston.
Follow along…
• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. Also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
• The game will be streamed live on Paramount+, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.
Story lines …
Lund-erful company: Goalkeeper Katie Lund has picked up right where she left off last year, ranking among the league’s best in a variety of categories. The Texas native is tied for second in the NWSL with four regular-season shutouts, and she posted a clean sheet in Racing’s Challenge Cup win at Chicago on May 31. She rates second in saves per 90 minutes (4.2) and third in save percentage (79.3%) in the regular season, but Lund hasn’t been nearly as busy in the Challenge Cup, making just one save and facing only three shots on target.
Kan-u do it again? Forward Uchenna Kanu broke through with her first goal in a Racing jersey the last time Louisville played in the Challenge Cup, scoring the game-winner in Chicago at the end of the first half. The Nigerian international arrived in Louisville late in the preseason via transfer, the largest fee from an NWSL club acquiring a player from Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil. Kanu has made 11 appearances for Racing so far, including six starts.
Goins up … on Wednesday: Parker Goins returned to the scoresheet in Racing’s previous Challenge Cup match, netting her second goal this season in a Louisville kit, both of them against Chicago. The Arkansas grad flicked on a Savannah DeMelo free kick from just outside the box, scoring after her header looped high into the top left corner, just beating Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. The 24-year-old has two goals in 12 appearances since joining Racing before last season.
Global Racing: Racing Louisville is the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continents on its roster. The Louisvillians already had an international flavor last year, with four continents represented. But the additions of Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges as well as Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu and South African forward Thembi Kgatlana nudged Racing to six continents. Abby Erceg, who made 146 appearances for New Zealand’s national team, reinforced Australian midfielder Alex Chidiac as a second representative from Oceania.
World Cup year: This is a big year for women’s soccer, with the 2023 FIFA World Cup set for Australia and New Zealand from July 20-August 20. Racing should be well-represented at the planet’s biggest competition. There are nine current internationals on Racing’s roster, and seven of their countries have qualified for the World Cup. The NWSL will only play one regular-season game in the World Cup window, instead scheduling half of the NWSL UKG Challenge Cup matches for that period.
