In its first mid-week match of the season, Racing Louisville heads to the West Coast for a 10 p.m. Wednesday meeting at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles against 11th place Angel City FC.
The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network immediately following the Louisville City at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC contest that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET. You can follow the radio broadcast of the game on News Talk 1080 AM, online at talkradio1080.iheart.com or the iHeart Radio app.
After a defeat to the reigning NWSL champions NJ/NY Gotham over the weekend, Racing Louisville (3-3-6, 15 points) heads into its California encounter in eighth place in the NWSL table, one point above the playoff cutline. Three points would vault the Louisvillians into sixth, tying the highest position they have reached in the table this season.
“Whenever you have a loss, you just want to get back on the field and right it,” said Racing midfielder Marisa DiGrande. “It’s a great opportunity for us quickly to get back and get back to where we want to be.”
Angel City FC (3-6-3, 12 points) has failed to record a win from its last five games, placing coach Becki Tweed’s team three points below the postseason cutline. Despite looking the more dangerous of the two sides, the LA outfit failed to score for the third time since the beginning of May, drawing 0-0 on Saturday in Houston. Eight of ACFC’s 12 points have come away from home.
This will be the first time the Louisvillians meet Angel City this season. Racing is 1-1-2 all-time in the series, with a win and a draw in the two previous contests in Los Angeles. Kirsten (Davis) Wright and Savannah DeMelo scored in a 2-2 draw there last season, and Wright also scored in Racing’s 3-1 win at BMO stadium in 2022.
Racing is one of four NWSL clubs with fewer than two losses in away matches this year. Its seven goals allowed on the road are tied for the third-fewest conceded.
Scottish international Claire Emslie has been ACFC’s go-to offensive threat. Across the league, she ranks second in key passes (28), behind Racing’s Carson Pickett, as well as top three in shots on target percentage (66.7%) and tied for second in chances created (27). One of her counterparts in the attack, 19-year-old Alyssa Thompson, is tied for fourth in the league in assists with four.
Since Angel City’s last win on home soil, a 2-1 win over the North Carolina Courage in April, it has scored one goal in the past 270 minutes of football at BMO Stadium.
Follow along …
For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. You can listen to the match on News Talk 1080 AM, online at talkradio1080.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.
Storylines …
Lund’s approaching milestone: Katie Lund is a save away from 250 for her career, a feat only nine other goalkeepers in league history have reached. She’ll also become one of only seven NWSL goalkeepers to record that number of saves for one team. One of the top goalkeepers in the league for three seasons running, Lund tallied her fourth clean sheet of the campaign on June 7 vs. Houston, tying for the NWSL lead in shutouts. The 27-year-old ranks in the top four among shot-stoppers with at least 1,000 minutes played in goals allowed per 90 minutes.
Erceg’s longevity: Veteran defender and club vice-captain Abby Erceg surpassed 16,000 career minutes played in Saturday’s game vs. Gotham. In her 10th season in the NWSL, the New Zealand national team legend is zeroing in on third place in the league’s all-time minutes played category. The 34-year-old, who has won three NWSL championships in her career while playing in four Olympics and four World Cups, ranks first in the NWSL this year in blocks per 90 minutes.
DeMelo leading the way: Whether it’s netting the second-latest goal in NWSL history or setting a new club record, Savannah DeMelo has helped propel Racing Louisville into the thick of the playoff picture. She became the first Racing player to score in three consecutive home matches in the win over Houston on June 7. Her three goals from the last five games have moved her into a tie for fourth in the league in goals despite missing three matches because of injury. The club’s all-time leading scorer and assists leader has 14 goals and five assists in lavender and is one away from a new season-best (would be six) in the third year of her professional career. DeMelo, who earned NWSL Best XI honors for May, is the NWSL’s leader in free-kick goals among current players, with three, which is tied for third all-time.
Swiftly ingraining herself: Taylor Flint has been a game-changer for Racing. The midfielder was named to the NWSL Best XI for March and April after a dominant seven-match run to start her Racing career. Through 12 games, Flint ranks first in the NWSL in interceptions, and tackles won; second in aerial duels won and blocks; and fourth in possession recoveries among non-goalkeepers. The 25-year-old has created 11 scoring chances and started every game for Racing, with 11 full 90s played. In the double pivot over the weekend against Gotham, Flint tallied nine interceptions, her highest total in a game this season.
Searsiously special: A week after earning NWSL Goal of the Week honors for her shot-cross in Kansas City, rookie forward Emma Sears again claimed the recognition for an outstanding strike at Chicago. The 23-year-old blasted a right-footed shot into far post corner for her third goal, second-best among NWSL rookies. Sears has been sensational through her first 12 professional games, ranking fourth in the NWSL in progressive carries per 90 minutes, sixth in successful dribbles, and fifth in carries into the penalty area. The Ohio native ranks top 10 in shots on target and top 20 in both goal-creating actions and shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.
Carson the Connector: One of the NWSL’s best passers over the past few seasons, Carson Pickett leads the league in key passes and chances created and ranks second in passes into the penalty area. Pickett’s first regular season assist in a Racing jersey came on Reilyn Turner’s goal against Utah on April 20. Pickett has two assists in 38 appearances across all competitions since joining Racing in 2023. The Florida native joined the illustrious 150 NWSL appearance club on June 7 against the Dash.
Kanu bringing the spark: So far this season, Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu has four goals in nine appearances to tie for fifth in the NWSL golden boot race. She is one of four players in the league with at least four goals in less than 10 games played, and her brace in six minutes against Portland on March 30 was the fastest from the start of a game in league history.
Rei of sunshine: Much like her fellow rookie Sears, California native Reilyn Turner has made an immediate impact as a first-year player. The UCLA grad and former All-American and national champion has two goals and two assists in her 12 appearances and set a Racing club record with six shots on target in the 0-0 draw vs. Houston on March 23. Her 61.1% shots on target rate ranks eighth in the NWSL while sitting in fifth in shots on target per 90 minutes.
Bahr none: For the first time in eight years, a player registered an assist and a goal in their NWSL debut, with Racing’s Elexa Bahr matching Houston’s Rachel Daly in 2016 with the feat. Bahr scored a magnificent opening goal in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16, chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. She added an assist a few minutes later on Uchenna Kanu’s well-taken goal in transition.
Global Racing: Racing Louisville became the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continental confederations on its roster in 2023, and that hasn’t changed this year. Louisville’s 26-player roster consists of two players from Oceania Football Confederation; one from Asian Football Confederation; two from Confederation of African Football; one player from Union of European Football Associations; two from CONMEBOL (South America); and the remaining 18 from the U.S. (Note: U.S.-born forward Elexa Bahr competes for the Colombian national team.)
