May 16, 2023 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Racing Louisville FC News Release
Fresh off its first win of the 2023 regular season, Racing Louisville turns its attention to the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, hosting the Kansas City Current at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in Racing’s first match of the league-wide tournament.
The game will be broadcast on Paramount+.
This year’s Challenge Cup will be a different format than last year, when it was primarily played in the preseason buildup to the regular season. The 2023 version will run concurrently with the NWSL 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.
Wednesday marks the Challenge Cup opener for Racing, but the tournament is well underway, with several NWSL teams already playing two of their six group-stage matches. Kansas City will be participating in its second Challenge Cup contest after beating Houston, 2-0, on April 19.
A quirk of the schedule: After Wednesday’s Challenge Cup matchup, Racing travels to Kansas City to play the Current on Saturday. That match is part of the NWSL regular season.
Still, first things first. Racing is hoping to improve on its 1-2-3 record in last spring’s Challenge Cup. Louisville’s lone win came in Kansas City, where Racing topped the Current, 3-0. The teams drew, 1-1, in Louisville to open the tournament.
The Louisvillians enter Wednesday’s match with an eye on extending a home unbeaten streak that has now stretched to five games, with a win and two ties this season and two home wins to close out the slate last year. Racing beat Kansas City, 1-0, in the regular-season finale at Lynn Family Stadium.
This will be the eighth 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 3-2-2.
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 …
Wang Shuang makes history: Racing Louisville forward Wang Shuang entered the National Women’s Soccer League record books in Friday’s 3-0 win over Chicago, becoming the first Chinese player to score a goal in the NWSL. The 28-year-old slotted home a penalty…