In the words of the great Willie Nelson, Racing Louisville FC is “on the road again.”
Riding the momentum from a well-earned win Saturday afternoon, Racing travels south for a 7 p.m. Friday meeting with the Orlando Pride at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Louisville won’t be away from home for all that long, as Friday’s visit to the Sunshine State represents its final road bout before successive matches at Lynn Family Stadium next week.
Racing (4-11-2, 14 points) completed a six-point week last Saturday afternoon after topping Chicago Stars FC, 2-1. With the victory — its second in the last three matches — Louisville climbed up to 15th place in the NWSL standings.
Head coach Bev Yanez said it was a result that showed the “group’s current confidence,” as it capped off a stretch of three games in seven days. Two second half goals proved decisive for the hosts, while they held the Stars to their lowest shot total since late April (6).
Racing hopes to carry that said confidence into Friday for a meeting with Orlando, a team Louisville beat for its first win back in April by a 3-2 score. A stunning brace from Lauren Milliet was the highlight for Louisville that evening en route to the win.
That early season result fits a broader trend. Of the clubs the Pride have faced at least 10 times across all competitions, Racing is the one they’ve beaten the fewest, with just three wins.
As recently as the end of Matchweek 14, Orlando (7-9-2, 23 points) found itself squarely in a playoff spot — seventh position. But a 5-0 defeat at the North Carolina Courage last Friday moved the club down three places into 10th due to goal differential. It was the club’s worst loss in any competition since July 2023 — so it’s safe to say that the Pride will surely head into Friday with something to prove.
Especially lately, goals have been hard to come by for Orlando. Since the beginning of July, the Pride have netted four goals — tied for the fewest in the NWSL with Louisville’s last opponent, Chicago. After a 3-0 home victory over the Kansas City Current on July 10, Orlando has been shutout in three of its last four contests.
It’s a little bit of déjà vu for the Pride, which came up against these same attacking struggles around almost the same time last summer. Coming out of the July break in 2025, Orlando managed just two goals across five games during the month of August.
Follow Along
- The contest will be streamed on the free NWSL+ app or via plus.nwslsoccer.com. Fans can also listen to the match on Sports Talk 790AM or 790louisville.com.
- 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.
Story Lines …
Go off rookie: The influence of rookie Mirann Gacioch on Louisville since the NWSL summer break ended cannot be emphasized enough. Gacioch, a product of the Ohio State University, has been a staple in Racing’s backline lately, earning a start in five out of the last six contests. In her sixth career NWSL start last Saturday versus Chicago Stars FC, Gacioch emphatically netted her first professional goal — a header to open the scoring 10 minutes into the second half. The finish made her just the third Louisville rookie to find the back of the net this season. Beyond the goal, Gacioch was a force defensively, leading the team in possessions won (9) while also winning five of her six total duels.
Setting a new high mark: In a play that saw two former Ohio State players combine, Kayla Fischer scored Louisville’s crucial second — and ultimately game-winning — goal against Chicago Saturday afternoon. Fischer smashed the strike home in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, leaving no doubt after Emma Sears brilliantly found her in stride. It was Fischer’s fourth goal this season, marking a new career high through only 17 games. Last year, the forward registered three goals in 21 regular season appearances.
Lethal in the air: No team since the start of the 2024 campaign has tallied more headed goals than Racing. Gacioch’s header against Chicago was the club’s fourth this year and 19th since 2024 began. Remarkably, 14 of those 19 finishes have been scored at Lynn Family Stadium. The next closest team, the Washington Spirit, has just 15 such goals in that same span.
Comforts of home: Orlando has amassed seven wins this year, with five coming at Friday’s venue: Inter.co Stadium. The Pride are notably among just six teams in the NWSL with more than 15 points on home soil this season. In its last five home matches — four of which have been wins — Orlando has outscored its opponents 8-2. With three more points at home, the Pride would also draw even with its home point total from all of last year.
Duty calls: Like when Racing took on the Kansas City Current last week, the Orlando Pride are also currently missing their leading goal scorer due to the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Orlando forward Barbra Banda, who has scored 12 of the club’s 22 goals this year, is representing Zambia at the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco, which began July 26 and ends with a August 16 final. Overall, Banda has tallied 33 goals for the Pride in just over 50 appearances since joining in March 2024 from Chinese Women’s Super League side Shanghai Shengli FC.
