CHICAGO —- The Chicago Red Stars will look to extend their winning streak to four games on Saturday, August 3 at 7 pm CT at SeatGeek Stadium when they take on Utah Royals FC. Here are the keys to the match.

Sprint, not a marathon:

The Red Stars once again showed their ability to strike quickly, scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes against Reign FC last weekend. It was the sixth game this season Chicago was able to get a goal during that time span and the second time in 2019 they scored twice in the first 20 minutes of a match. The Royals are also known to strike early, doing so in five games this year, including a goal in the 13th minute last week. 

Yin vs Yang:

Chicago’s offense showed their class last weekend in a four-goal performance. With 24 goals this season, the Red Stars boasts the NWSL’s third highest-scoring offense, but on Saturday they face one of the league’s premier defenses. Utah has yet to concede more than two goals in a game this season and lead the NWSL with six clean sheets, including a shutout of Chicago back in May. 

Who Will Step Up?

With the U.S. Women’s National Team players away on their Victory Tour this weekend,  the Red Stars and the Royals will once again rely on their depth. Katie Johnson has assisted a Sam Kerr goal in consecutive games and scored her first goal of 2019 against Houston in the game prior, while Vanessa DiBernardo has been directly involved in three of the last seven goals for the Red Stars, scoring twice and assisting another.  Utah midfielder Desiree Scott was a bright spot for the Royals in their 2-1 loss last weekend, completing 82.6% of her passes in the opposition’s half. She’ll look to link up with Amy Rodriguez, who leads the Royals with six goals this season and the lone goalscorer in Utah’s 1-0 win over Chicago earlier this season.