SeatGeek Stadium | Bridgeview, Illinois – Saturday, June 10 at 8:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
Chicago forward Ava Cook scored both of the Red Stars’ goals in their 2-1 win at Angel City on Monday, netting both before halftime. Cook is the fourth player in Red Stars history to score multiple goals in the first half of a match, joining Sam Kerr (3x), Christen Press, and teammate Yuki Nagasato.
North Carolina has scored just three goals in their last four matches after scoring four goals across two games in their previous run. The Courage have scored the third-lowest amount of any side in the league through 10 games (10), with only the Orlando Pride (7) and the Houston Dash (9) scoring fewer. Leading the way for North Carolina in the scoring department is Brazilian forward Kerolin who has four goals on the year, with the only other multi-goal scorer being Tyler Lussi.
Match facts: The Chicago Red Stars welcome in the North Carolina Courage for the first of three home games int heir next four matches. Chicago enters in at 10th in the league standings on 10 points from 10 games, while the Pride side just one spot above them in 9th place on the same amount of points but holding a one-goal better differential.
After winning just one of their first eight league games this season (D1 L6), the Red Stars have won consecutive matches, the club’s first winning streak in regular season play since the start of last season. Chicago’s last home match, a 1-0 win over Orlando, is its only clean sheet of the season.
The Courage saw their six-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W3 D3) end with a 1-0 loss at Kansas City on Saturday. North Carolina’s last 10 games in all competitions have been either drawn or decided by a one-goal margin (W3 D4 L3). North Carolina held 66.9 percent possession in its 1-0 loss at Kansas City on Saturday, the second-highest possession percentage in an NWSL match this season behind only the Courage holding 67.3% of the ball in a loss to Washington in April. It was the highest possession percentage in an NWSL away match since Portland held 67.4 percent of the ball at Houston in May 2018.
The Red Stars are unbeaten in seven all-time home matches against the Courage (W5 D2). Only one team in NWSL history has played more home matches against a single opponent without ever losing: Portland vs. Washington (11 games not including a forfeit win).
Noted (via Jen Cooper, The Keeper):
Next start for Courage midfielder Denise O’Sullivan will be her 100th in regular season play for the Courage. Only Abby Erceg (now with Louisville) has more (105).
Next assist for Chicago playmaker Yuki Nagasato will tie the club record of 22 held by Vanessa DiBernardo (now with KC).
