NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing Sets NWSL Mark with Most Nations Represented at World Cup

Published on July 11, 2023 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville will stand alone among National Women's Soccer League clubs at the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the most nations represented by its players.

Six Racing Louisville players will play for six different countries at the World Cup. No other NWSL club has more than four nations represented among its players.

Midfielders Ary Borges (Brazil), Alex Chidiac (Australia), Savannah DeMelo (United States) and forwards Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria), Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa) and Wang Shuang (China) will all suit up for their national teams, covering five of the planet's continents.

"We are so excited to have such broad representation at the World Cup," Racing general manager Ryan Dell said. "It speaks volumes to the level of play we have cultivated here in Louisville, and we can't wait to watch our players compete at the highest level on the global stage."

With Wang Shuang's departure for China's pre-tournament training camp after Racing's win over Kansas City on Friday, all six players have departed for Australia and New Zealand, where the tournament will play from July 20-August 20.

A Racing player will compete in a World Cup game on 12 of the 15 days during the group stage, with the six players' teams split up across five groups.

The first match featuring a Racing player will kick off on opening day, Thursday, July 20, when Racing midfielder Alex Chidiac and Australia take on Ireland at 6 a.m. ET. More than 80,000 are expected at Stadium Australia in Sydney for one of the tournament co-hosts, and FOX (WDRB locally) will broadcast that game.

Chidiac and Australia will play Kanu and Nigeria at 6 a.m. Thursday, July 27, in the only group stage match between two Racing players, with Fox Sports 1 (FS1) carrying the broadcast. There are several scenarios where Racing players and their national teams could meet in the knockout rounds of the tournament.

DeMelo and the United States open on Friday, July 21, kicking off at 9 p.m. ET, just after Racing's UKG NWSL Challenge Cup game against Chicago. Racing Louisville and Lynn Family Stadium will host a post-match watch party for the U.S. match, inviting fans to stick around and watch the U.S. vs. Vietnam.

More details on the July 21 watch party and future watch parties will be released at a later date.

Below, please find the World Cup group stage schedules for each Racing player at the tournament.

Racing Louisville player schedule at the World Cup

* All game times/dates listed for U.S. Eastern Time Zone

Thursday, July 20

Australia (Chidiac) vs. Ireland, 6 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Nigeria (Kanu) vs. Canada, 10:30 p.m., FOX/WDRB

Friday, July 21

United States (DeMelo) vs. Vietnam, 9 p.m., FOX/WDRB

Saturday, July 22

China (Wang Shuang) vs. Denmark, 8 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Sunday, July 23

South Africa (Kgatlana) vs. Sweden, 1 a.m., FS1

Monday, July 24

Brazil (Borges) vs. Panama, 7 a.m., FS1

Wednesday, July 26

United States (DeMelo) vs. Netherlands, 9 p.m., FOX/WDRB

Thursday, July 27

Australia (Chidiac) vs. Nigeria (Kanu), 6 a.m., FS1

South Africa (Kgatlana) vs. Argentina, 8 p.m., FS1

Friday, July 28

China (Wang Shuang) vs. Haiti, 7 a.m., FS1

Saturday, July 29

Brazil (Borges) vs. France, 6 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Monday, July 31

Australia (Chidiac) vs. Canada, 6 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Nigeria (Kanu) vs. Ireland, 6 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Tuesday, August 1

United States (DeMelo) vs. Portugal, 3 a.m., FOX/WDRB

China (Wang Shuang) vs. England, 7 a.m., FOX/WDRB

Wednesday, August 2

South Africa (Kgatlana) vs. Italy, 3 a.m., FS1

Brazil (Borges) vs. Jamaica, 6 a.m., FS1

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 11, 2023


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