Denver Summit W welcome North Carolina Courage W on Thursday morning, with kick-off at 02:00 UTC, in a Group Stage fixture that carries real weight for the home side sitting in the bottom third of a 16-team table.
Denver are currently 11th, with 20 points from 16 matches — five wins, five draws and six defeats. They arrive on the back of two consecutive defeats, though they have taken five points from their last five matches overall. Their recent results across those five matches include a victory away at NJ/NY Gotham FC, two draws, and losses to San Diego Wave W and Boston Legacy W.
North Carolina Courage sit seventh with 24 points from 16 matches — seven wins, three draws and six defeats — and are described in the table standings as mid-table. The four-point gap between the two sides makes this a meaningful match in the context of the table. The Courage have also collected five points from their last five outings. Their most recent result was a home defeat to Kansas City W, preceded by a draw with Boston Legacy W.
Both sides therefore head into this fixture carrying identical five-point hauls across their last five matches, though their positions in the table reflect differing overall records across the season to date.
With Denver in the bottom third and North Carolina occupying a mid-table position four points clear, the table standings give a clear sense of what is at stake for the hosts on Thursday night.