THE ROSSONERE HEADING TO THE USA FOR THE WOMEN'S CUP

The Women's Cup — the world's largest club women's professional soccer tournament — has rounded out its 2022 lineup with England's Tottenham Hotspur FC and Italy's AC Milan.

The European teams will combine with host Racing Louisville FC, the National Women's Soccer League's OL Reign, Liga MX Femenil's Club América (Mexico) and the WE League's Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) for seven total games from Aug. 14-20 at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Tickets and parking passes are on sale now at TheWomensCup.world.

"It is a huge honor to have AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur to represent Europe in the 2022 edition of The Women's Cup," said Jaime Phillips, the tournament's founder and executive director. "These are very important and prestigious soccer clubs worldwide, and we are excited to have them competing for a championship this summer in Louisville. We are in presence of an historical event for women's soccer by having great teams from multiple continents participating this year".

AC Milan founded its women's side in 2018 and is already challenging near the top of the Serie A table. The club went 14-4-4 during the 2021-2022 season, winding up behind only Juventus and Roma. AC Milan has also finished as runner-up in the Supercoppa Italiana this season. Former AC Milan player Maurizio Ganz manages the club, which was led in scoring last season by French striker Lindsey Thomas. Team captain Valentina Bergamaschi ranked second in goals.

"Being part of this important international event shows just how much women's football has grown in Italy, both from a sporting point of view and in terms of visibility and knowledge beyond national borders," said Elisabet Spina, AC Milan's women's team sport director. "Representing Italy and Europe alongside Tottenham is a source of pride for us. The Women's Cup represents an extraordinary moment of encounter and confrontation for clubs from different continents — a strategic event that allows us to continue our development as a team on and off the pitch. We have one goal: the global growth of women's football".

Tottenham is fresh off its best-ever FA Women's Super League finish of fifth during the 2021-2022 campaign, its first full season led by manager Rehanne Skinner. Spurs defeated Manchester City for the first time along the way, plus took points from women's powerhouses Arsenal and Manchester United. Skinner was nominated as FA Women's Super League Manager of the Season. Defender Ashleigh Neville, who scored a game winner against Leicester City on the season's final day to secure Spurs' finish, was shortlisted for Player of the Season.

"Rehanne and the team are coming off the back of their best WSL campaign to date and are looking to build on this going into next season," said Fabio Paratici, Tottenham Hotspur's managing director of football. "The Women's Cup will see us tested against top opposition from around the world, giving us ideal preseason preparation while enabling our passionate fans in the United States to see our women's first team in action for the first time".

The Women's Cup will be staged entirely outside of the regular-season NWSL schedule. Visiting European clubs will arrive in the final stages of their preseasons, and tournament officials looked to new continents to continue extending the reach of this international event.

The international clubs open The Women's Cup with quarterfinals on Sunday, Aug. 14. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, the winners will meet Racing and OL Reign in the semifinals, while the two losing teams from Sunday will play against each other for fifth place. The final and third-place matches are set for Saturday, Aug. 20.

In addition to the on-field action, The Women's Cup is looking to further connect with its home city of Louisville. Tournament organizers are planning additional events throughout the week, including a music festival and youth soccer activities. The host venue Lynn Family Stadium is a 15,304-capacity facility that's home to Racing Louisville — currently playing its second season — as well as the title-winning USL Championship club Louisville City FC. Lynn Family Stadium opened in 2020 in the Butchertown neighborhood just east of downtown. It boasts seating in close proximity to the pitch, ideal sight lines and a number of amenities, among them a state-of-the-art video board and free WiFi.