Previous Result
CHI: Chicago got back into the win column with a 1-0 win over the Orlando Pride
LOU: Louisville fell to North Carolina 2-1
Previously in Challenge Cup Play
The last time Chicago played a Challenge Cup presented by UKG match was Wednesday, May 3, against the Houston Dash. The Red Stars were coming off a gritty performance against the Washington Spirit that ended in a 1-1 tie. Unfortunately, the momentum from that match didn’t carry over to the match against Houston, as the Red Stars fell 2-0 to the Dash in a match that did not feature Penelope Hocking, Ella Stevens, Cheyna Matthews or Cari Roccaro, all players that were instrumental in the club’s play this season and the team’s win against the Kansas City Current. As the team heads into the second Challenge Cup match of the season, what will Coach Petrucelli’s lineup look like and what will the team carry over from the 1-0 win against the Orlando Pride? Join us Wednesday afternoon and find out.
Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Red Stars veterans, Casey Krueger and Yuki Nagasato, connected during Saturday evening’s match against the Orlando Pride to conjure Chicago’s lone goal and earn three points for the team. Krueger’s cross that assisted Yuki’s goal, became her fifth regular-season assist in her career and her first assist since 2019, which came against the Houston Dash. For Yuki, who headed the ball past Orlando’s keeper to put Chicago ahead, her goal put her in the 20/20 club (20 goals and 20 assists) making Yuki the 12th player in league history to join the club and the fourth international player to reach the milestone, joining former Chicago Red Star forward, Sam Kerr.
The Best in The World
Saturday evening, the Red Stars celebrated goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher who played her 150th NWSL regular-season game against Racing Louisville FC Friday, May 12. During the match, Naeher passed Ashlyn Harris for most regular-season saves in league history, making her the all-time leader. The Orlando Pride tried their best to spoil the celebration, with their 19 shots (six on target and 14 from inside the box), their 2.36 expected goal average and nine taken corner kicks. Despite facing a constant barrage, Naeher, with help from the defenders and players that tracked back to defend, never wavered and kept the Pride out of goal. Coach Petrucelli summarized it best in his post-match comments, “Any night you see Alyssa in goal you have confidence right away because you know you have the best goalkeeper. She’s been the best goalkeeper in the world for many years, it’s not just right now.”
