Racing Louisville kicks off the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup at 8 p.m. Saturday against CF Monterrey at Lynn Family Stadium.
The Louisvillians’ first match against Mexican opposition will be broadcast live on Paramount+.
For Louisville, Saturday begins an extensive stretch on home soil, with six of its next seven games across all competitions set at Lynn Family Stadium.
First up, Racing shifts its focus to the new Summer Cup, a 33-match tournament featuring 20 teams from the two North American women’s soccer leagues – 14 from the NWSL and six from Liga MXF. The teams are split into five groups of four, with three matches for each team in the group stage. The four top group winners will advance to the semifinals set for Aug. 6 in Kansas City. The final is scheduled for Oct. 25 in San Antonio.
Drawn in Group E alongside Monterrey and two fellow NWSL foes, North Carolina and Orlando, the Louisvillians will host two its three group stage matches at Lynn Family Stadium. In NWSL play, Racing is one of four clubs with double-digit goals scored and fewer than nine goals conceded in home matches, and it’ll aim to replicate that success in the Summer Cup.
Monterrey, nicknamed Las Rayadas, is one of two teams with at least three Mexican league titles along with Tigres UANL. Rayadas won the 2024 Liga MXF Clausura title for the second half of the 2023-24 season before falling to Tigres in the Campeón de Campeones, the league’s new final.
Led by Amelia Valverde, the former Costa Rica women’s national football team coach who took over last December, Las Rayadas captured the Clausura title over Club América in late May. They began Apertura 2024 on July 7 with a 1-0 win over Club Puebla Femenil thanks to a goal from former Orlando Pride forward Christina Burkenroad.
Rayadas has a multitude of attacking talents, with Burkenroad being just one of them. The team can also rely on record goal scorer Katty Martínez and South African international Jermaine Seoposenwe to make an impact in the attack. Martínez, who joined the club on June 19, scored 15 goals for Club América in Clausura 2024. Seoposenwe converted a team-high eight goals in that same tournament to help Las Rayadas secure their third title.
The club is captained by defender Rebeca Bernal, who has been with Monterrey since 2017. Bernal’s consistency in the back for Mexico’s women’s national team was recently recognized, earning a spot on the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI.
Monterrey faced NWSL competition in October when it journeyed to Kansas City to play a friendly match against Kansas City Current, ultimately falling 1-0.
Follow along …
For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
The match will be broadcast live on Paramount+ in English and streamed for free on the NWSL+ app in Spanish, which is available via Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku as well as plus.nwslsoccer.com for domestic and international viewers.
Storylines …
Racing meets Mexico: Louisville has competed against clubs from Italy, Germany and even Colombia, but for the first time, it will encounter a Mexican opponent. It’ll be the second instance where Racing is in a tournament with a Mexican side – Club América was in The Women’s Cup 2022 in Louisville, but the clubs never met in the event.
Summer Cup rules: Compared to NWSL league play, the Summer Cup is set to be played under a different set of rules and regulations. First and foremost, this tournament will not utilize video assisted replay, or VAR. If a match is tied at the end of regulation in the group stage, both teams receive a point for the group stage standings, but there will be a penalty shootout to award an extra point. Also, if a match must be abandoned for any reason, it will be considered complete if the first half has been completed.
Rei of sunshine: California native Reilyn Turner has made an immediate impact as a first-year player. Turner added to her goal tally in Racing’s most recent match, netting the club’s lone goal against North Carolina with a phenomenal turn and finish just inside the 18-yard box. She now has six goal involvements – four goals and two assists – which not only ties her for the team lead but moves her into 12th in the NWSL and gives her sole possession of second in that category among rookies.
Enchanted to meet you: Taylor Flint scored her first NWSL penalty – and her first goal for Racing – in the 3-2 loss to Angel City on June 19. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for March and April, and through 15 games, Flint ranks first in the NWSL in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and sixth in possession recoveries among non-goalkeepers despite missing the June 29 game against Bay with a concussion. The 25-year-old has created 12 scoring chances and started every game she’s been available.
Carson picks it: One of the NWSL’s best passers over the past few seasons, Carson Pickett put her name on the scoresheet at Angel City, scoring the second goal of her career with a left-footed effort. The 30-year-old is having another standout season, leading the league in chances created (35). Pickett’s first regular season assist in a Racing jersey came on Reilyn Turner’s goal against Utah on April 20. Pickett has two goals and 19 assists in 174 career appearances across all NWSL competitions. The Florida native joined the illustrious 150 NWSL regular-season appearances club on June 7.
Erceg’s longevity: Veteran defender and club vice-captain Abby Erceg is now third in all-time NWSL minutes (16,361), surpassing McCall Zerboni after registering 90 minutes against Bay on June 29. In her 10th season in the NWSL, the New Zealand national team legend has won three NWSL championships in her career while playing in four Olympics and four World Cups. She ranks fourth in the NWSL in blocks and seventh in clearances this year.
DeMelo leading the way: Savannah DeMelo has five goals and an assist, co-leading Racing in goal contributions alongside Reilyn Turner. She became the first Racing player to score in three consecutive home matches in the win over Houston on June 7. The club’s all-time leading scorer and assists co-leader has 14 goals and five assists in lavender and is one away from a new season-best (would be six) in the third year of her professional career. DeMelo, who earned NWSL Best XI honors for May, is the NWSL’s leader in free-kick goals among current players with three, which is tied for third all-time.
Lund’s milestone: Katie Lund made the 250th save of her career on June 19 at Angel City, a feat only 10 other goalkeepers in league history have reached. She also became one of only seven NWSL goalkeepers to record that number of saves for one team. One of the top goalkeepers in the league for three seasons running, Lund’s next shutout would put her in lone possession of 11th all-time in clean sheets.
Searsiously special: A week after earning NWSL Goal of the Week honors for her shot-cross in Kansas City, rookie forward Emma Sears again claimed the recognition for an outstanding strike at Chicago on May 25. The 23-year-old now has three goals this season, and she added an assist to her ledger with a dime to Carson Pickett at Angel City.
Kanu making an impact: So far this season, Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu has four goals in 10 appearances to tie for 16th in the NWSL golden boot race. Her brace in the opening six minutes against Portland on March 30 was the fastest from the start of a game in league history. She is one of two players with four goals in fewer than 12 appearances this season.
Bahr none: For the first time in eight years, a player registered an assist and a goal in their NWSL debut, with Racing’s Elexa Bahr matching Houston’s Rachel Daly in 2016 with the feat. Bahr scored the opening goal and assisted a second in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16.
Global Racing: Racing Louisville became the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continental confederations on its roster in 2023, and that hasn’t changed this year. Louisville’s 26-player roster consists of two players from Oceania Football Confederation; one from Asian Football Confederation; two from Confederation of African Football; one player from Union of European Football Associations; two from CONMEBOL (South America); and the remaining 18 from the U.S. (Note: U.S.-born forward Elexa Bahr competes for the Colombian national team.)
