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The Chicago Red Stars will begin the 2022 NWSL Regular Season with a home match against regional rivals Racing Louisville. Following their elimination from the NWSL Challenge Cup last week, the Red Stars will be hoping to bounce back, despite an injury-riddled squad. It will be Chris Petrucelli’s first regular season game in professional soccer, as he took over as head coach earlier this year. The match will kick off at 7:00 PM Central Time at SeatGeek Stadium.
As was the case last week, the Chicago Red Stars will be without numerous players. Tierna Davidson is out for the season, Kealia Watt had a knee injury, Casey Krueger and Sarah Woldmoe are on maternity leave, Morgan Gautrat has a calf injury, and Mallory Pugh is still unavailable due to a concussion. One break the Red Stars received is that Rachel Hill is expected to return from a long injury layoff. Ava Cook is also available once again after returning from her suspension. What kind of a shape the Red Stars will lineup up in is also a mystery; this team has constantly had to adapt and adjust following new challenges.
Racing Louisville earned 6 points across 6 games in the Challenge Cup, and have a team that can certainly cause trouble for the Red Stars. Louisville enter the match off the back of a disappointing 2-1 loss at Houston; US Women’s National Team midfielder Jaelin Howell scored Racing’s only goal of the game. They have a few other strong options on their roster, such as Emily Fox who was one of the breakout stars of last season. Louisville will only be without one player, Nadia Nadim, who has an injury to her right leg.
The Red Stars have never beaten Louisville, having drawn three times and lost once in the prior four meetings.
The match will be aired on Paramount+.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville
NWSL Matchday 1 | Saturday, April 30 | SeatGeek Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT
Streaming: Paramount+, Twitch (international)
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