CHICAGO – The Red Stars will look to jump back into second place when they take on Seattle Reign FC in a mid-week contest on Wednesday, August 16. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Toyota Park.
After a tough 2-3 loss to Portland on Saturday, Chicago dropped in the standings to third place, just out of hosting a semi-final match. Against the Thorns, the visiting team quickly took a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the match with goals by Hayley Raso and Christine Sinclair.
The home side fought back and equalized going into halftime. Christen Press tallied her ninth goal of the season, while Sofia Huerta notched her fifth goal. It was an unfortunate free kick that found the head of Emily Sonnett to give Portland the win.
Seattle saw the same fate on Sunday, as they fell 1-2 to league leaders, North Carolina, in their first home loss in 15 games. The Courage took the lead off a Samantha Mewis strike, but the Reign equalized just before halftime with Rumi Utsugi’s first goal of the season. It would be Mewis once again to put North Carolina in the lead with a second half goal at Memorial Stadium.
Both Chicago and Seattle each have a win this season against the other, with each side winning on their home turf. Press grabbed the only goal in a 1-0 shutout on June 4 at Toyota Park, while Megan Rapinoe tallied a brace off two penalty kicks to come back after Alyssa Mautz earned a goal in the first half on June 28 in Seattle. In the meeting at Memorial Stadium, it marked the first time Seattle had beat Chicago since 2014.
In the standings, Chicago remains in playoff contention with 29 points, while Seattle falls in fifth place with 24 points. The Reign will also be without Rapinoe, who leads the league with 12 goals, due to knee surgery after the Tournament of Nations.
Press and Huerta will look to combine once again in an effort to attack the Reign’s backline, as the captain continues to lead the league in shots (65) and shots on goal (38). Chicago holds a 5-4-4 all-time record against Seattle, outscoring the Reign 19-12.
After Seattle, the Red Stars will end their three games in a 10-day home stretch when they take on FC Kansas City on Sunday, Aug. 20. The match is set to kick off at 5 p.m. CT at Toyota Park. Tickets for Aug. 20 are available here.
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