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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for When Racing Travels to Take on North Carolina

June 23, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC forward Thembi Kgatlana
Racing Louisville FC forward Thembi Kgatlana
(Racing Louisville FC)

Racing Louisville hits the road this weekend for a critical match against the North Carolina Courage at 7 p.m. Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

As the season progresses, games take on greater significance in the race for one of the six spots in the NWSL playoffs. But this match in particular carries great meaning for both teams because several key players, including U.S. Women's National Team selections, will be departing for 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup national team camps following the game.

Racing Louisville (3-3-6, 15 points) is three points out of the final playoff spot with 10 games left in the 2023 regular season. With as many as six Racing players expected to head to the World Cup, coach Kim Björkegren's squad will have to play at least one NWSL regular-season match without its full complement of players, adding importance to Saturday's matchup.

Racing is in great form, going 6-1-2 over the past nine games across all competitions. Thembi Kgatlana and Savannah DeMelo scored in Louisville's most recent win, a 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham on national television this past Saturday. DeMelo, the NWSL's Player of the Month in May, was included in the U.S. Women's National Team's World Cup roster.

There's added motivation for Racing with this meeting in the Research Triangle: The visiting Courage topped Racing, 2-1, last month, scoring two goals against the run of play in a match Louisville outshot North Carolina, produced three big chances to Carolina's zero and posted a 2.45 expected goals clip to the Courage's 0.96.

North Carolina (6-4-2, 20 points) has been on a tear since its win over Houston April 28, going 5-1-2 in regular-season matches in that stretch. Brazilian forward Kerolin leads the way for the Courage, with a league-leading eight goals. She and DeMelo are among the top contenders for NWSL MVP honors.

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 streamed live on Paramount+, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.

Story lines ...

An MVP campaign in the making: Halfway through the season,Savannah DeMelo has to be considered one of the leading candidates for the hotly contested NWSL MVP award. The star midfielder has eight goals and three assists across all competitions and ranks eighth in the NWSL in chances created in regular-season games. DeMelo rates among the NWSL's best in a number of other categories, too, including fouls won and fouls won in the attacking third (first), goal-creating actions (fifth), shot-creating actions (sixth), touches in the opponent's box (19th) and tackles won (20th). The Californian was this week named to the U.S. Women's National Team's World Cup roster, becoming the first player in Racing's young club history to receive the honor.

It's Thembi Time: Electric forward Thembi Kgatlana was everywhere in Racing's 2-0 win over Gotham this past weekend, scoring her first goal in a Louisville uniform since arriving this offseason. The South African international had eight touches in Gotham's box and four shots, earning Player of the Match honors for the performance. The first player to score a goal for South Africa at the Women's World Cup, Kgatlana made her first appearance for Racing on May 6 after recovering and rehabilitating a torn Achilles suffered last July. The 27-year-old transferred to Racing from Spanish club Atletico Madrid last summer.

KD matches last year: With her assist on Thembi Kgatlana's goal last Saturday, Racing forward Kirsten Davis matched her 2022 output of two goals and an assist with half the season left. The Texas Tech grad has started eight matches this season, with 11 total appearances, and her goal at Angel City on April 15 stands out as one of Racing's best scores of the year.

Lookin' out for No. 1: Racing goalkeeper Katie Lund has posted three straight shutouts, four in her last five starts and five in her last seven, playing a huge role in Louisville's run of good form. Her five regular-season clean sheets are tied for second in the NWSL, and her 81.8% save percentage leads the league. Lund also averages 4.5 saves per game, good for second among NWSL keepers.

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 will be well-represented at the planet's biggest competition. Racing Louisville expects to have as many as six players competing on the world's biggest stage. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo (USA) and forward Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria) have already been included in their respective teams' World Cup rosters, while Ary Borges (Brazil), Alex Chidiac (Australia), Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa) and Wang Shuang (China) are considered likely to make their nations' World Cup squads.

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Racing Louisville FC forward Thembi Kgatlana
Racing Louisville FC forward Thembi Kgatlana
   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from June 23, 2023


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