January 16, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – NJ/NY Gotham FC News Release
NEW YORK / LOUISVILLE / CALI, COLUMBIA – NJ/NY Gotham FC and Racing Louisville today announced that for the first time in National Women’s Soccer League history, two clubs will participate in The Women’s Cup Colombia – a four-team international tournament in South America that will pit Colombian powerhouses América de Cali and Deportivo Cali against a pair of NWSL opponents.
As a part of preseason preparations for the two NWSL clubs, this milestone edition of The Women’s Cup is set to kick off in late February, with a number of firsts. It will be the first time the tournament is held in South America and the first time NWSL clubs play in South America against South American teams. In addition, The Women’s Cup Colombia will be the first of four tournaments to be played in 2024, as part of the TWC Global Series. Summer events in the United States and Europe will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The Women’s Cup Colombia provides an invaluable competitive opportunity for us to face high-level opponents in true game scenarios,” said Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West. “As we fine-tune our chemistry heading into the regular season, we look forward to meeting new opposition in addition to exposing both the players and the club brand to new audiences and experiences.”
The tournament begins on Tuesday, Feb. 27, with kickoff for the first semifinal match, featuring Gotham vs. Deportivo Cali at 5 p.m. ET, before the second semifinal between América de Cali and Racing Louisville kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.
The next stage is set for Friday, March 2, when the winners of the two semifinal matches advance to face off in the tournament final at 8:30 p.m. ET. The two remaining sides will compete in a third-place match at 5:30 p.m. ET prior to the final.
Tickets for the two days of the competition are on sale now at TheWomensCup.world.
“We are incredibly excited to make history this year with The Women’s Cup in Cali,” said J.P. Reynal, President and CEO of The Women’s Cup. “This is a fantastic opportunity to help continue to grow women’s football globally and in South America while providing fans the chance to see some of the best players in the world sharing a pitch. We learned from the FIFA Women’s World Cup that Colombia can be among the best in the world in women’s football, and we can’t wait to see how two of Colombia’s best pair up against…