Forgive us if you’ve heard this recently, but Racing Louisville and the Kansas City Current play one another this week in a National Women’s Soccer League game.
This time, three days after their meeting in Louisville for the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, Racing travels to Kansas City to take on the Current at Children’s Mercy Park at 8 p.m. ET Saturday.
The match will be broadcast on Paramount+.
Racing (1-2-4, 7 points) is hoping to snap a two-match road losing streak, coming off back-to-back defeats at Portland (2-0, April 22) and at Orlando (1-0, May 6). The Louisvillians enter Saturday’s game on a bit of a high, scoring consecutive wins over Chicago this past Friday and Kansas City on Wednesday.
Racing’s Savannah DeMelo scored twice in her team’s 3-2 win over KC on Wednesday and took the penalty that ultimately counted as an own goal in the 3-0 victory over Chicago. Thembi Kgatlana has also had a hand in two of Racing’s last six goals, though she was only credited for an assist on one.
After last Friday’s win, Louisville is one point ahead of Kansas City in the fledgling NWSL standings.
Hobbled by a number of injuries to key players, Kansas City (2-5-0, 6 points) still possesses one of the most dangerous attacking corps in the NWSL, led by Brazilian star Debinha, who scored Wednesday after coming off the bench in the second half and has four regular-season goals for KC.
The Current’s 2023 campaign has been full of swings. KC lost its first three games but responded with a three-game winning streak. Interim coach Caroline Sjöblom’s squad enters Saturday’s game again on a three-game losing skid.
This will be the ninth meeting between the two clubs in either the regular season or Challenge Cup since Racing joined the NWSL, with Louisville leading the all-time series 4-2-2. Last year, Racing went 1-1 at Children’s Mercy Park, beating KC, 3-0, in the Challenge Cup but losing, 1-0, two months later in a regular-season match.
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 …
The DeMelo era: Star midfielder Savannah DeMelo just keeps getting better and better. The 25-year-old scored twice in Racing’s 3-2 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup win over Kansas City on Wednesday, pushing her goal total to four across all competitions. Her penalty against Chicago last Friday also went in off the goalkeeper, ultimately counting as an own goal. DeMelo is seventh in the NWSL in shot-creating actions, with 27.
Thembi time: Forward Thembi Kgatlana has already made a big impact since returning from injury on May 6 for her Racing debut, playing a key role in two goals for Louisville, though she was only credited for the assist on one. The South African international registered her highest minutes total yet in Wednesday’s Challenge Cup opener, creating two scoring chances in 16 minutes off the bench.
Ironwomen: Racing Louisville still has three players who have played every minute this season across all competitions, with goalkeeper Katie Lund and defenders Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett all playing each second of Racing’s eight games so far. Right back Lauren Milliet has played every minute of the regular season and came on as a substitute in the Challenge Cup.
Baggett bags two firsts: Acquired in late April via trade with Washington, midfielder Jordan Baggett celebrated two firsts in Wednesday’s Challenge Cup match, making her first start for Racing and registering her first assist. The 26-year-old played 84 minutes in central midfielder, partnering with Savannah DeMelo and Jaelin Howell in a dominant midfield performance. She created two scoring chances and won nine possessions in what was her fourth appearance for Louisville.
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.
