On Thursday afternoon, Racing Louisville coach Bev Yanez previewed the second contest of this first-ever NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup vs. North Carolina Courage and on what she hopes to gain from consecutive cup challenges.
Racing just recently played the Courage in NWSL play back on July 7 – a 3-1 defeat away at WakeMed Soccer Park.
“Very excited for an opportunity to play them again,” said Yanez. “I know the last time we saw them was away and was for league. Obviously, we’re not happy with the result for that match. So I think to be able to play them this quickly, to be able to look at the film, see things that we would adjust, go over it with the group, and build off of our performance against Rayadas.”
In the opener of the Summer Cup, the Lousvillians came from behind to take down C.F. Monterrey — the three-time Liga MX Femenil champions — by a 3-1 decision thanks to second half goals from Kayla Fischer and Ary Borges.
Racing’s initial victory propelled them to the top of Group E, with a one-point advantage over North Carolina. Their goal differential of +2 is currently tied for the second-best following the first match of the Summer Cup.
With NWSL league play paused until late August, Racing is competing in two cup competitions — The Women’s Cup and the Summer Cup. Friday marks Louisville’s second group stage match of the Summer Cup with one more set to be played at Orlando next Thursday.
“It’s a great opportunity to have a core group together for us,” Yanez said on these mid-season tournaments. “Specifically look at things that we can use this timeframe for that we believe will benefit us at the start of the second half of the season. So it’s a massive opportunity for us if we take advantage of this opportunity, and that’s essentially how we see it.”
