2019 NWSL Regular Season – Week 12

Chicago Red Stars vs Sky Blue FC

SeatGeek Stadium. Bridgeview, Illinois

July 6 at 7:00 PM CT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Red Stars return to SeatGeek Stadium for a matchup against Sky Blue FC on Saturday, July 6 at 7 pm CT.

Where to Watch

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Stream: NBC Sports App, Yahoo Sports

Additionally, authenticated regional subscribers of NBC Sports Chicago can view the live stream of the game at NBCSportsChicago.com/WatchLive.

Opponent Form

Sky Blue FC enters the match at the bottom of the NWSL standings with 2 points and a 0-2-7 record. Their last match came against the Orlando Pride on June 22, where they would lose 2-1 following an own goal in the 81st minute and increase their losing streak to five games.

However, both games they earned a draw in were against last year’s NWSL Championship finalists. A 2-2 draw against Portland was a surprise result in Week 3 action, but the biggest shock came in their May 4 matchup against reigning champions North Carolina. The Courage were held scoreless despite the team’s 28 shots and had it not been for a stop by Merrit Methias at the goal-line, Sky Blue would’ve taken all three points that night.

This game marks the club’s first match without head coach Denise Reddy, who was let go last Friday.

Storylines

Irreplaceable: Sam Kerr’s return ignited the Red Stars offense back to their scoring ways. It only took 55 minutes for Kerr to score a hat-trick in her first match back in Chicago last Sunday, a 3-2 win against Orlando that snapped a three-game losing streak for the Red Stars. Through seven games played, Kerr has scored nine goals this season, including seven goals in her last three matches for Chicago.

Mine: Sunday’s match will mark the first game Chciago’s Savannah McCaskill and Katie Johnson will play against their former team since their trades in January and June. Both players have been a key part of the Red Stars offense since joining the team, with Johnson playing in eight of the ten matches this season and McCaskill getting significant playing time in both matches she has been eligible to play for Chicago.

1+1: With Kerr back for the Red Stars, Chicago also has the international connection clicking again. Nagasato’s ability to find Kerr in a scoring opportunity did not skip a beat in Orlando, with the former Japanese international finding Kerr just before halftime on Sunday to give the Red Stars the lead again. The international connection is at the very top of the NWSL offensive scoring charts, with Kerr leading the league with nine goals and Nagasato the assist leader with four.

Pretty Hurts: As a midfielder, Nikki Stanton doesn’t obtain the stats that you see on paper, but against Orlando on Sunday Stanton had a fantastic game. She had a team-best 54 passes and completed 85.7% of them. Stanton also led the team in total duels (19), aerial duels (4), tackles (5), and possesions gained (11). It’s not as flashy as a goal or assists, but Stanton’s role last Sunday was instrumental to Chicago’s victory.