Tag: Racing Louisville

NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Pure chaos takes hold as Portland Thorns retake league lead

Nothing is ever what it seems in the NWSL

Does anyone want to win the NWSL Shield this season?

That’s the question at this point, after first place exchanged hands yet again. In the last 11 rounds of games, we’ve woken up on Monday with a new team atop the table eight different times. The Portland Thorns’ triumph over Cascadia rivals OL Reign, coupled with the San Diego Wave stumbling against a Kansas City Current side that kicked off in last place, gave us yet another change in the race for the Shield.

Let’s take a quick look at this insightful video that explains how this entire season has felt.

The Thorns do appear to be this season’s “best” team, whether you approach it from the eyeball test, data, or results. Portland can hit heights no one else can hit, and have shaken off Sophia Smith’s injury thanks to Best XI candidate Morgan Weaver.

However, as impressive as the Thorns can be, there are only 11 points separating Portland from the Chicago Red Stars in 12th. A team that hasn’t won a regular season game since June has nonetheless stayed above the playoff line all season. There are three rounds of games to go, and no one has been eliminated or clinched a postseason berth.

NWSL chaos, never change.

NC Courage win 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup as Kerolin, Matsukubo put on a show

The Courage sure do love the NWSL Challenge Cup

The North Carolina Courage sure seem to love the NWSL Challenge Cup.

The Courage won the league’s cup competition for the second year running, posting a 2-0 win over a Racing Louisville who simply never had enough gas in the tank to keep up. Kerolin and Manaka Matsukubo scored in each half, and were the dominant forces sparking a comprehensive victory for the hosts.

Over the last three seasons, the Courage have amassed a 12W-6D-2L record in this competition, which will reportedly be scaled down to a one-game curtain-raiser in 2024. Few will mourn the end of a competition that the NWSL, its teams, and its broadcast partner never seemed quite sure what to do with. With an excellent track record in the tournament,  one can excuse North Carolina for any wishes to keep the Challenge Cup alive.

Heavy storms in the Triangle region soaked the field Saturday morning, and while conditions looked good at kickoff, a lightning strike in the area forced referee Alex Billeter to send the teams to the locker rooms after just 11 minutes.

Following a 139-minute delay, North Carolina — who had forced a good stop out of Katie Lund in the opening stages — got right back to work, with Lund tipping a Manaka Matsukubo shot off the post.

The danger kept coming from Kerolin attacking Louisville’s left flank, and the Brazilian finally produced a 28th-minute breakthrough with a powerful shot that somehow squeezed between Lund and the near post.

The stats backed up just how dominant the Courage were in the first half: the hosts had all seven of the game’s shots on goal, holding two-thirds of the possession. Louisville’s only modest look came seconds before the break, with Thembi Kgatlana (possibly from an offside position) poking a deflected cross wide.

North Carolina were still finding gaps as the second half got underway, and while the busy Lund made another big stop to deny Tess Boade, there was little she could do to deny Matsukubo in the 54th minute.

The 19-year-old, a July addition for the Courage, improvised brilliantly to lob Racing’s goalkeeper from the top of the box, capping off a superb performance  by becoming the youngest player to ever score in an NWSL knockout match of any kind.

Louisville finally generated a truly good look immediately after the goal, with the ball eventually skewing up and off the crossbar amid some chaos in the North Carolina penalty area.

That served as a preview for a 77th minute corner, in which Ary Borges’ half-volley forced Casey Murphy into a reflex save to fend off a comeback.

Set piece play was Louisville’s most promising path to opportunities in the game, and another ended with Kgatlana’s cross clipping two Courage players on the doorstep before somehow bobbling away without a finish.

To the team’s credit, Racing — who per CBS’s broadcast team endured a 15-hour travel day to arrive in North Carolina at 7:00 p.m. Friday night — kept battling, with Kgatlana and Uchenna Kanu both producing stoppage time looks.

However, there could be no mistaking who the better team was on the day, with the Courage hoisting the club’s seventh trophy.

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NC Courage, Racing Louisville into 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup final

A long-standing contender and a first-time finalist will meet in Saturday’s Challenge Cup final

The battle for the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup is down to the North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville.

North Carolina will host Saturday’s final, as both lower-seeded sides went on the road to win semifinals over the Kansas City Current and OL Reign, respectively.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 12:30 p.m. ET. CBS will broadcast the game over the air, while Paramount+ is the streaming option.

North Carolina sealed a second straight home Challenge Cup final thanks to a dramatic 1-0 win at Children’s Mercy Park, where Brianna Pinto fired home a stoppage-time winner.

After largely dominating the first half, the Courage found the going more difficult as Kansas City — who started with an uncharacteristically conservative approach — started to high-press after the break.

That expansive change resulted in both teams finding golden looks. The Courage somehow survived a wild scramble in their goalmouth after a corner, with two Current shot attempts striking goalkeeper Casey Murphy while she was on the ground, and Narumi Miura — possibly the smallest player on the field — blocking a third.

At the other end, North Carolina couldn’t quite find the target from promising positions, with Kerolin, Tess Boade, and especially substitute Mille Gejl not able to produce a finish.

That set the stage for Pinto, whose energetic appearance off the bench was capped off with a goal on the turn six minutes into stoppage time.

On the west coast, a different sort of game played out. Laura Harvey understandably opted for a heavily-rotated side after playing Sunday night, while Louisville (benefitting from an extra day’s rest) came out close to full strength.

The Reign’s relatively unfamiliar lineup may have contributed to the concession of the first and only goal the team gave up in this Challenge Cup. It was simple stuff: Sam Hiatt’s misplaced pass went right to Kirsten Davis, who used a slick move to set up a pinpoint shot past goalkeeper Laurel Ivory.

Louisville could have possibly found a second, but as the game wore on OL Reign did everything but score. Chance after chance fell their way, perhaps none better than two normal starters (Emily Sonnett and Jordyn Huitema) linking up after a half-cleared ball into the box.

Sonnett’s delivery couldn’t have been better, but Huitema wasn’t able to snap the ball down past Katie Lund.

Louisville had to hang on for dear life, but through some blocks and grit, Racing has a shot at a first-ever trophy on Saturday.

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NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Playoff race tension grows after Racing Louisville, Angel City both win

No team can ever relax in the NWSL

The NWSL is built to ensure late-season drama.

There’s no other conclusion to reach after another weekend that could have blown the standings wide open instead drew the entire table closer together. For the second time in recent weeks, the schedule set things up for the top six to largely push the bottom six adrift. Four of the six games over the weekend paired a team in a playoff position up against a team on the outside looking in.

And just like last time, the results largely skewed towards a tighter, more tense race. Racing Louisville and Angel City FC got big wins to keep pace, the Washington Spirit had a surprising stumble at home, and the only match between teams in playoff position ended up somehow being a bonkers 3-3 draw.

With four games to play, the gap from top to bottom is only 11 points. The teams in seventh and eighth are within six points of first. If you pull up Google’s NWSL standings and look over at the “last five” column, you’ll see more red X images signaling a loss for the teams in the top six (12) than in the bottom six (eight).

The seatbelt sign for this NWSL season should be flashing, because we’re about to have a turbulent landing.

NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Sophia Smith injury looms as playoff pressure ramps up

Bad news for Portland, while Angel City picked up a huge win

The NWSL regular season returned from its World Cup slumber last week, but with several big names not truly ready to come back just yet, it was only this past weekend where the league felt truly “back.”

There were major developments: multiple draws for teams in the top six, paired with Angel City’s win over OL Reign, breathed life into the race for the final playoff spots. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t start off with the league-wide show of support for Jenni Hermoso and the players of Spain’s World Cup-winning national team.

“Contigo Jenni” was on wrist tape all over the league, while fans — and not only those in supporters’ groups — brought banners reading the same. This is a league that knows all too well how vital it is to push abusive figures out of the game, and the resumption of club play isn’t going to mean the issues with Luis Rubiales, Jorge Vilda, and their enablers in Spain are going to be pushed aside.

That said, a different unfortunate piece of news bubbled up this weekend, with Sophia Smith suffering a knee injury of (as yet) unknown severity. An injury to the runaway MVP favorite is hardly the news anyone out there wanted, and it could change the entire complexion of this season’s stretch run.

Let’s sort through the good and the bad:

NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Orlando Pride serves notice, broadcast woes are back

We see you, Orlando Pride

The World Cup is over, but the drama is not, because the NWSL is already back.

We’re not just getting to loosen up and ease into the league’s return, either. The NWSL stretch run is literally here, with each team down to its final six games. The standings are packed tightly, and the next few weeks before the September FIFA window are going to feel like a full-on sprint.

Some teams were fully prepared to get moving at full speed. With four teams outside the playoff places hosting games over the weekend, this was a huge opportunity for most of the league to either get seriously into the mix, or for teams in the top six to keep the chasing pack at bay.

The Orlando Pride got off the line fastest with a blowout victory, while the Kansas City Current came up with a gutsy win that effectively kept their playoff hopes alive. Racing Louisville and the Houston Dash came back to get draws, but neither side is in a place where home draws are going to get the job done.

We’re going to be attempting a format experiment here, at least with the next couple of Take-Offs. The hope is that with a little streamlining, the column is more easily digested. We’re thinking less of a minivan and more of a hatchback.

And with that in mind, let’s get this car on the road.

When will World Cup players return for NWSL teams?

Notes on returning World Cup players from all 12 NWSL teams

The World Cup may still have a final and third-place game to finish, but the NWSL is done waiting.

The league’s break from regular season play concludes Friday, with the Kansas City Current and OL Reign kicking off a full slate of matches.

It’s awkward timing, with a few players still participating at the World Cup, others still recovering from a physically and mentally grueling process, and yet more having come back quickly after the group stage. With 61 different NWSL players going to the World Cup, there are probably 61 unique situations to deal with here.

Pro Soccer Wire knows fans want to know when their team’s internationals will be back in uniform, so we’ve done the relevant social media research and Zoom press conference recording. Consider this a status update for all 61 World Cup participants as the NWSL playoff chase truly gets underway.

NWSL Challenge Cup semifinal pairings set after dramatic end to group stage

Four teams remain in the hunt for the Challenge Cup

The 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup has a final four.

NJ/NY Gotham FC’s tense 1-1 draw with the Orlando Pride on Wednesday settled the group stage in this year’s tournament, with the semifinals awaiting on September 6.

Gotham could have claimed the East division with a win in the final match of the entire group stage, but their draw let the North Carolina Courage advance on goal difference.

As a result, the defending Challenge Cup champions will travel to face the Kansas City Current, who won the Central division. OL Reign, the winners of the West division and top seed out of the semifinalists, will host Racing Louisville, whose 12 points were good enough to clinch the best runner-up spot over the Gotham FC (11) and Angel City FC (8).

Both games will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network, with the Current vs. Courage match starting at 8:00 p.m. and Reign vs. Racing starting at 10:00 p.m. (both times Eastern).

The Challenge Cup final will take place on September 9. As the top seed, the Reign will host if they get past Louisville. Otherwise, the winner between Kansas City and North Carolina will get the showcase match, which will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

2023 saw NWSL adjust to criticism over the scheduling of last year’s edition of its second competition, with the Challenge Cup moving away from being a preseason tournament. This year’s version has been spread throughout the season, with essentially half of the tournament taking place during the World Cup break from regular season play.

New territory for three semifinalists

Three of the semifinalists would be in line for their first-ever win in a final, at least in their current guise. OL Reign has won three NWSL Shields as a model of regular-season consistency, but two appearances in the league’s championship game have ended in defeat.

While FC Kansas City won two NWSL titles in 2014 and 2015, they’ve been moved to Utah and then back, changing names twice in the process. As the Current, they lost in last year’s NWSL championship game.

For Racing Louisville, this trip to Lumen Field will be entirely new territory, as the club has not advanced to the playoffs or Challenge Cup knockout rounds in either of their previous seasons.

On the other hand, the Courage have six major trophies to their name, with a victory in last year’s Challenge Cup going with two NWSL titles and three NWSL Shields. The Courage had a 15-game unbeaten run in this competition broken up this past Saturday by a loss at Gotham, but survived to advance after the New Jersey-based side stumbled to a draw at the last hurdle.

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NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Racing Louisville, Orlando Pride serve notice with statement wins

Heading into the World Cup break, and the chaos is back

The NWSL is heading into its World Cup break, and the vibes are all over the place.

Some teams could use the break to make some tweaks, get healthy, or even go for a wholesale adjustment. By contrast, a few others may just be hitting their stride, and will be understandably frustrated to have a couple of weeks without more games to build on their current momentum.

Naturally for this topsy-turvy league, the teams that need the break are closer to the top of the table, while most of the teams that are settling into a groove are the ones just outside the playoff places. In a couple of weeks, the NWSL has gone from the brink of “we might not have a serious race for postseason spots” to “everyone’s in the mix.”

For one last time before the World Cup gauntlet begins, here’s your Weekend Take-Off.

NWSL Weekend Take-Off: Shim returns as league parity verges on parody

The only predictable thing in the NWSL is its unpredictability

The National Women’s Soccer League is not a normal league.

Last week, the major through-line for this column was that the league’s six playoff teams were already threatening to separate themselves. This past weekend’s schedule paired the teams in playoff places with teams on the outside, and could have more or less sealed a haves and have-nots stretch run (give or take the Houston Dash clinging to the contending pack).

Instead:

The “we are SO back!” vibes are off the charts.

The teams entering the weekend sitting seventh or worse went 3W-2D-1L against the top six. The Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride got road wins against the Portland Thorns and Washington Spirit (arguably the two most consistently good teams in the NWSL in 2023). The Chicago Red Stars got a shutout! Up is down, left is right. That’s our league.

We talk all the time about NWSL parity, but this was parity to the point of parody. Of course the NWSL had a weekend where the teams that can’t win all rise up to beat the teams that can’t lose.

This league knows no other way to be.