CHICAGO – Coming off an international FIFA break, the Red Stars are back at it with six games remaining in the regular season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). On Friday, August 10, Chicago will host 2018 NWSL Shield Winners, North Carolina Courage. The match will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Park. Tickets are available here.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before the match up:

NWSL Shield Winners
For the second-consecutive season, the North Carolina Courage have won the NWSL Shield. Equaling the same number of points as they finished last year, the Courage have 49 points with four games left this season. The second place team is 16 points behind the front runners with 33 points.

Busy During Bye Week
While most teams took a week off for the international FIFA break at the end of July, the Courage kept busy, competing in the first International Champions Cup Women’s Tournament in Florida with club powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon from France and Manchester City from England. North Carolina defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 to advance to the finals against Lyon. A goal in the 10^th minute was the only deciding factor to give the Courage the victory. The only unfortunate thing to happen during the tournament was the loss of Yuri Kawamura, who was subbed out of the match in the first half due to a torn ACL.

No Rest ‘Till the End
Because they filled their rest week with an international tournament, the Courage haven’t had more than a week of rest since the beginning of June. After the tournament, North Carolina was able to beat Portland 2-1 and look to play three Playoff contenders in the next three matches. North Carolina will continue to have a game each week leading into the Semifinals.