Who runs the World? RACING!
Racing Louisville has gone global! As noted in our first World Cup player report, Racing has 6 players from 6 countries at the World Cup, and they put on a show for the 2nd round of group-stage matches!
Racing currently (as of 9:45 pm on July 28th) is leading all club’s in the world with 6 goals scored! If you add in assists, Racing players have accounted for nearly 10% (9.75%) of all goals in the Women’s World Cup (as of July 29th).
As noted above, the below report is a Racing Louisville player update for the 2nd group stage matches for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Please check out our first report to see how they did in the opening rounds. The report will be in the order of matches played and briefly break down each player.
FotMob and OneFootball will provide player ratings.
Savannah DeMelo
United States 1 – 1 Netherlands
Ratings
FotMob – 7.1
OneFootball – 7.3
Firstly, I want to tell all USWNT fans to take a deep breath and RELAX. It is not the end of the world that we tied the Netherlands; if anything, we can hope this was the wake-up game for the ladies. DeMelo once again started for the US and played well before being subbed off after the half for Rose Lavelle (DeMelo and Lavelle will be platoon players of sorts for the tournament). In just 45 minutes, DeMelo completed 8 out of 10 passes, created 3 chances, was 3 for 3 on crosses, and was solid defensively, winning 10 out of 15 ground duels and making 5 recoveries. The match was played in front of 27,312 fans at Wellington Regional Stadium. Her performance was so reliable that ESPN FC analyst Janusz Michallik heavily questioned the move to swap her for Lavelle in the second half.
lex Chidiac
Australia 2 – 3 Nigeria
Ratings
FotMob – N/A
OneFootball – 6.3
The first and only matchup between 2 Racing players in the group stages may have just been the match of the tournament. Chidiac played in her first-ever World Cup game when she was subbed on in the 85th minute for Hayle Raso. In her short time on the pitch, Chidiac completed 4 out of her 5 passes, created 2 chances, 1 accurate cross, 2 shots on goal, and won her sole ground duel. Her performance was so impressive that many Australians (Chidiac is a fan favorite) questioned why Matilda’s gaffer Tony Gustavsson will not play her more.
The Matildas’ final group stage match will be Monday, July 31st, against Canada at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 6 am EST/5 am CST. The Matildas need a win to advance to the knockout stages from the group of chaos.
Uchenna Kanu
Australia 2 – 3 Nigeria
Ratings
FotMob – 7.7
OneFootball – 7.7
Kanu got the start for this match, and she opened the scoring for the Super Falcons by getting the equalizer just before the half in this crazy game. By the time she was subbed off in the 63rd minute for Asisat Oshoala, Kanu had completed 11 out of her 14 passes, created one chance, and obviously scored on her only shot. Kanu played best on the other side of the ball, winning 3 out of 4 aerial duels, having 2 head clearances with 4 recoveries and an interception. The match was played at Brisbane Stadium in front of 49,156 fans.
The Super Falcon’s final group stage match will be on Monday, July 31st, as they take on the Republic of Ireland at Brisbane Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 am EST/5 am CST. If Nigeria wins, they could top the group of chaos.
Thembi Kgatlana
Argentina 2 – 2 South Africa
Ratings
FotMob – 8.7
OneFootball – 8.5
Kgatlana shone in this match for the Banyana Banyana, assisting and scoring on both South Africa’s goals. Outside of contributing to the score sheet, Kgatlana was firing on all cylinders – 14 for 14 on passes, 3 chances created, 4 recoveries, and won 50% of her ground duels. The match was played at Dunedin Stadium in front of 8,834 fans.
Wang Shuang
China PR 1 – 0 Haiti
Ratings
FotMob – 7.6
OneFootball – 6.7
Shuang entered the match again to start the 2nd half for the Steel Roses, coming in for Chengshu Wu. Shuang was the boost the 10-man side needed in a tightly-fought game. Not only did she score the only goal of the match, a penalty in the 74th minute, but she also completed 23 out of 25 of her passes and was extremely solid defensively, winning 50% of all her duels. The match was played at Hindmarsh Stadium in front of 12,675 fans.
Ary Borges
France 2 – 1 Brazil
Ratings
FotMob – 7.1
OneFootball – 4.9
Borges came into the World Cup firing in her last match against Panama, the performance was hard to match, but even taking a step back against France, she still looked dangerous. Borges played 86 minutes, completing 23 out of 31 passes, creating 2 chances with 7 passes into the final third. She was even better on defense, winning all her tackles and picking up 2 clearances and 2 recoveries. She was also crucial in setting up the combination play that led to Brazil’s equalizer in the 57th minute. The match was played at Brisbane Stadium in front of 49,378 fans.
And that wraps up the 2nd edition of Racing Stars at the World Cup. Make sure to stick to Bluegrass Soccer Cast (@BGSoccerCast on all social media platforms) for full coverage of Racing Louisville and all things soccer in our beautiful Commonwealth.
