Racing Louisville and the 11 other NWSL clubs returned from the league’s mid-season break on Monday, preparing for the final seven-game stretch of the 2023 regular season and the second half of the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup.
Every team in the NWSL has players competing in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including six from Racing, but the Challenge Cup marches on for the next few weeks, and league play kicks back in on August 19.
Here are five Racing story lines to watch as the Louisvillians return to action:
Everything to play for
Racing sits just two points back of the final playoff spot, currently held by sixth-place San Diego. Louisville (4-4-7, 19 points) has pushed into seventh place while playing the second-toughest strength of schedule this season, according to Field of Vision analytics.
Now comes the most entertaining portion of the year: the playoff push. Every team in the league still has a shot at the playoffs. That might sound crazy, but last-place Kansas City (15 points) is only six points behind San Diego. Second and third place – Portland and NJ/NY Gotham – are the same distance clear of seventh-place Racing and eighth-place Orlando.
On Racing’s schedule, a number of great opportunities remain. Of the five other teams on the outside of the playoff picture right now, Racing will play four of them, three at Lynn Family Stadium. Racing also plays three teams currently in playoff spots – at Gotham (Aug. 27), Portland (Sept. 2) and at San Diego (Oct. 15). There’s great potential for a cracking Oct. 15 game at San Diego if both teams keep pace.
Chasing a Challenge Cup
The competition that runs concurrently with the NWSL regular season and features the league’s 12 teams has a $1 million pot to be shared among participants. But above all else, a trophy is a trophy, and Racing is very much in the thick of the pursuit for it.
Louisville (3-0-0, 9 points) is the only team in the tournament with 100% points from its matches, sitting atop the Central Division. The next three games on Racing’s schedule are Challenge Cup group stage contests: home vs. Chicago (Friday), at Houston (July 29) and at Kansas City (Aug. 5). Winning the group will present an opportunity to host a Challenge Cup semifinal at Lynn Family Stadium on Sept. 6.
Fill the Fam fast approaching
Last year, Racing set a new club attendance record (8,729) when it hosted the first Fill the Fam game at Lynn Family Stadium against Chicago. Now, Louisville wants to smash that mark and break 10,000 fans for the first time in club history – more info is laid out at RacingLouFC.com/FillTheFam.
The chance to do so presents itself on Aug. 19, when Racing hosts Los Angeles-based Angel City for the second annual Fill the Fam at Lynn Family Stadium, a critical match to restart regular-season play as the World Cup comes to a close.
If you’re reading this and you already have tickets, invite someone who has never been to a Racing game before. Tell your family members, your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers. Spread the word!
Stat stuffers
Racing has a variety of league leaders this year. Captain Jaelin Howell is first in the NWSL in tackles won and top five in duels won, interceptions and aerial duels won. Goalkeeper Katie Lund is first in saves and second in save percentage. Defender Abby Erceg is first in blocked shots per 90 minutes. Carson Pickett (ninth, 25) and Wang Shuang (12th, 22) rank among the league leaders in scoring chances created. Six players (Howell, Erceg, Pickett, Lauren Milliet, Ary Borges and MVP candidate Savannah DeMelo) rank in the top 40 in the league in average match rating, per FotMob’s match rating tool.
How about winger Paige Monaghan? Racing acquired the 26-year-old via trade this offseason, and the New Jersey native has produced across all competitions, matching her career-high with three goals and setting a new career-high with two assists. She scored in each of the past two games before the break. Monaghan is in elite company as one of only four NWSL players to record multiple goals in each of the past five calendar years, joining league legends Christine Sinclair and Debinha and young star forward Bethany Balcer.
World Cup returns
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup runs July 20-Aug. 20, and the group stage ends on Aug. 3. Players competing at the World Cup don’t have a mandated timeline for a return to club play, but NWSL clubs won’t want to rush reintegration into the squad after the strenuous physical and mental nature of participating on the world’s biggest stage.
Any players whose teams don’t make it out of the group stage are possibilities for Racing’s Aug. 19 match against Angel City. The matches at Gotham (Aug. 27) and home vs. Portland (Sept. 2) could be possible return dates for players whose teams play deep into the tournament. The semifinals are on Aug. 15-16, with the third-place match set for Aug. 19 and the final for Aug. 20.
Bonus: MVP and Best XI campaigns heat up
Racing has multiple contenders for NWSL MVP and Best XI honors. DeMelo is a bona fide MVP candidate. The California native has eight goals and three assists across all competitions and is 11th in chances created – and still leads the league in fouls won and fouls won in the attacking third – despite missing the past two regular season games.
Citing the stats from above, midfielder Jaelin Howell, defenders Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett and goalkeeper Katie Lund are all candidates for Best XI nominations at their positions, with each ranking among the league leaders in a variety of areas.
