© Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
After two tight semifinal matches where only a single goal was scored in each, the North Carolina Courage and Racing Louisville FC will compete for the 2023 UKG Challenge Cup title this Saturday.
In one corner, the Courage return to home soil to defend their Challenge Cup title after defeating the Kansas City Current for the second time in two consecutive Challenge Cup semifinals. Last year, the Courage beat the Washington Spirit in what was ultimately an ugly, physical final to win the trophy. In addition to their 2022 Challenge Cup win, the Courage are perennial contenders in the National Women’s Soccer League having won three consecutive Shields from 2017 to 2019 and back-to-back league championships in 2018 and 2019.
In the other corner, Racing Louisville enters its first major tournament final after sliding into the semifinals as the wildcard. Prior to this year, Racing had never made it out of the group stage of the Challenge Cup. Louisville has never made it to the regular-season…
