Racing Louisville is prepared to kick off its fourth run in The Women’s Cup with an 8 p.m. ET Friday meeting with Brazilian powerhouse Palmeiras at Lynn Family Stadium.
The semifinals will produce a finalist to take on the winner of the first match on Friday between Italian giant Juventus and Chilean champion Colo-Colo. TWC Louisville’s final is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday.
This is the second time this year that Racing will take on a South American opponent and the first time against a Brazilian club. Louisville topped Colombian champ América de Calí, 2-0, in the semifinals of TWC Colombia in February before falling in the final to NWSL foe NJ/NY Gotham FC.
Friday marks the start of a new Racing quest for another TWC trophy. As hosts in 2021, Louisville beat Chicago in the semifinals before edging German power Bayern Munich in the final. A year later, Racing fell to Seattle in the final at Lynn Family Stadium.
The Louisvillians enter the friendly tournament in good form after going 1-0-2 in the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. Coach Bev Yanez’s squad topped Mexico’s CF Monterrey in the group stage opener before putting in strong performances in 1-1 draws with North Carolina and Orlando.
Palmeiras, the 2022 South American club champion, comes to Louisville in the middle of its Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino Série A1 campaign. The Alviverde currently holds fourth place in the competition’s group stage and has qualified for the league’s knockout stage.
The former club of Racing midfielder Ary Borges has been the runner-up in the Brazilian Serie A1 and twice claimed the Sao Paulo state championship.
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 exclusively in the U.S. by VIZIO via VIZIO WatchFree+ on channel 1301. Viewers in Europe and the U.K. can watch on DAZN.
