Arin Wright is set to make her first start in Racing Louisville lavender in Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. matchup against the San Diego Wave at Lynn Family Stadium.
Wright’s start, plus the welcome return of midfielders Ary Borges and Savannah DeMelo, headlines the team selected by first-year Racing head coach Bev Yanez ahead of a critical showdown against the league’s reigning regular-season champions.
The match will be broadcast over the air on ION (find ION on your TV with this search tool) and streamed for free on ionnwsl.com. News Talk 1080 AM, talkradio1080.iheart.com and the iHeart Radio app will carry the radio broadcast.
Racing acquired Wright, a 31-year-old Kentucky native, via trade with Chicago this offseason. She made her debut for Racing in the 0-0 draw at Houston on March 23, coming off the bench as a substitute after returning from a minor ailment that kept her out of the season opener. It will be the veteran defender’s 144th career NWSL start after spending eight seasons with the Red Stars.
DeMelo returns to the starting lineup after missing the past two games with muscle tightness. The standout midfielder is a goal away from moving into a tie to be Racing’s all-time leading scorer and an assist away from becoming Racing’s all-time assists leader. Tonight’s start marks her 42nd in Racing colors, and she is the only Louisville player to ever score against San Diego, with the game-winning free kick in the 2022 1-0 win over the Wave standing as one of the best goals of her career.
Borges rejoined training in the past two weeks after missing the first three matches of the season because of a sprained ankle. The Brazilian international will be available off the bench in her first squad inclusion of the 2024 campaign. The 24-year-old is back in lavender for an encore year after registering two goals and an assist in 21 appearances across all competitions in 2023, including a belter of a score in the home opener against Washington.
The starting midfield will also consist of captain Jaelin Howell and Taylor Flint, with the duo starting its third consecutive match together after Howell came off the bench in the home opener while returning to full health. The match is the first of two games for Flint against her old team. The 25-year-old totaled six goals and four assists in 45 games with the Wave, helping Casey Stoney’s team win the NWSL Shield in 2023 and become the first NWSL expansion team to make the playoffs in its debut season in 2022.
In goal, Katie Lund will make her 52nd regular-season appearance and start for Racing. The club recognized the 27-year-old goalkeeper before the game for hitting her 50th match milestone during the two-match road swing to end March. The Texas native has three career shutouts against San Diego.
Ahead of Lund, Louisville’s back four will once again feature Lauren Milliet, Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett from right to left, with the aforementioned Wright stepping in at center back for the injured Elli Pikkujämsä. The Finnish international Pikkujämsä was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in the 2-2 draw at Portland on March 30.
Up front, Elexa Bahr, Uchenna Kanu and Reilyn Turner will again press the issue for the Louisvillians. Kanu, the league’s leading goal scorer, netted the fastest brace in NWSL history with two goals in the first five minutes and 40 seconds at Portland. She’s in the starting lineup after helping Nigeria qualify for the 2024 Olympics with matches against South Africa on April 5 and 9.
The substitutes list also includes reserve goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer; defenders Ellie Jean and Maddie Pokorny; midfielders Jordan Baggett, Marisa DiGrande and Kayla Fischer; and forwards Parker Goins and Emma Sears.
Yuuka Kurosaki, Elli Pikkujämsä and Kirsten Wright were previously announced as out on Racing’s availability report.
Racing Louisville lineup vs. San Diego Wave
1 – Katie Lund
2 – Lauren Milliet
3 – Arin Wright
6 – Jaelin Howell (c)
7 – Savannah DeMelo
16 – Carson Pickett
20 – Abby Erceg
23 – Elexa Bahr
26 – Taylor Flint
29 – Uchenna Kanu
66 – Reilyn Turner
Substitutes: 24 – Jordyn Bloomer; 5 – Ellie Jean, 8 – Ary Borges, 9 – Kayla Fischer, 13 – Emma Sears, 14 – Marisa DiGrande, 17 – Maddie Pokorny, 19 – Jordan Baggett, 21 – Parker Goins
