The Women’s Cup — an inaugural tournament underway at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Ky. — concludes Saturday with a final and third-place game that will put domestic clubs against highly touted international counterparts.
Penalty kick shootouts set up both the matchups, with the hometown side Racing Louisville FC advancing to host FC Bayern Munich at 6 p.m. in the final following a 3 p.m. third-place game between Paris Saint-Germain and the Chicago Red Stars.
Tickets remain at TheWomensCup.world. The games will be played as one session, with admission good to both contests.
Those who can’t make it to Lynn Family Stadium can live stream via Paramount+ in the United States, Magenta Sport in Germany and PSG’s Facebook page in Frace. All other international fans can subscribe to atafootball.com for coverage.
Here’s what to watch for Saturday…
Final: Racing Louisville FC vs. FC Bayern Munich
• Bayern will be looking to win its second trophy of the current preseason before opening Frauen-Bundesliga season play next weekend against Werder Bremen. The club previously raised the 2021 Women’s French Cup after defeating women’s powerhouse Lyon by a 4-2 score in the semifinals and Roma by a 4-0 score in the Aug. 6 final.
• Racing Louisville, meanwhile, will be playing for its first-ever trophy in the middle of its inaugural NWSL season. The ladies in lavender walked away from Wednesday’s 1-1 draw in regulation with Chicago with points for the third game in a row, improving to 4-6-4. Penalty kicks were taken for the purposes of advancing a team in The Women’s Cup competition.
• A major story line of note for the home side is the status of forward Nadia Nadim. Signed this summer after winning a French title at PSG, she was scratched from the lineup Wednesday minutes before kickoff. Coach Christy Holly cited hamstring tightness. Nadim is questionable for Saturday’s final.
• Bayern is in the United States for the first time, while this will mark the first time Racing has matched up with international competition in its brief history. The visitors, in addition to winning their domestic league last season, were UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinalists and project to similarly contend in 2021-2022.
Third-place game: Chicago Red Stars vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• PSG went ahead 1-0 on Wednesday against Bayern, then equalized when facing a 2-1 deficit going into the second half. Youth academy product Sandy Baltimore, just 21 years old, assisted both the Parisian’s goals to force penalty kicks. A shot off the bar that bounced down near the line was ruled out in a crucial moment leading to a defeat.
• The Red Stars, meanwhile, found themselves down 1-0 in the 10th minute of Wednesday’s nightcap after Ebony Salmon dispossessed a center back and converted a one-on-one look at the goalkeeper. Chicago, however, controlled much of the second half, out-shooting Racing 15-2 over the final 45 minutes. Kealia Watt knotted the score in the 57th minute.
• PSG, another domestic league winner and Champions League semifinalist from 2021, is like Bayern finishing up preseason. The club showed efficiency in front of goal, scoring on two of three shots on target in a rebound performance after PSG’s three prior competitions all ended in losses by a combined 10-2.
• Wednesday’s match saw the returns of Chicago defenders Casey Krueger and Tierna Davidson from the United States’ bronze medal run at the recent Tokyo Olympics. The side is still playing without midfielder Julie Ertz and Alyssa Naeher following the tournament, both related to injuries.
