A mix of fresh and familiar faces gives Racing Louisville FC reason to aim higher during its second campaign in 2022. There’s a new head coach in Kim Björkegren plus signings Jaelin Howell and Jess McDonald joining the likes of Gemma Bonner, Emily Fox, Cece Kizer and Nadia Nadim. It adds up to a promising core toward a goal of competing for a spot in the NWSL playoffs.
Here’s a primer running down what to know ahead of Racing’s Challenge Cup opener set for 7:30 p.m. Friday against KC Current at Lynn Family Stadium.
Season structure
Competition begins with the Challenge Cup tournament, a preseason event that will consist of all NWSL teams playing six group stage fixtures. Games lead up to semifinals on May 4 and a cup final on May 7.
The NWSL regular season — with a schedule to be announced soon — kicks off later in the spring. The league’s 12 teams will play each other once home and away with a goal toward a schedule that significantly limits the number of games that occur during international windows, ensuring the NWSL’s most accomplished players are able to compete for club and country with relatively few conflicts.
All told, each team will play at least 28 NWSL matches — 14 home and 14 away — across the Challenge Cup and regular season.
Postseason format
The top-six regular season finishers will advance to the NWSL playoffs, which start in October. No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive byes to the semifinals ahead of the NWSL Championship the weekend of Oct. 28-30.
Launched last season, Racing finished ninth of 10 on the table but recovered from losing positions to earn a result in its final three games. In all, the club’s 22 points were most yet by an NWSL expansion side, and the club will be looking to compete for a playoff spot this go around.
Story lines to know
Björkegren takes the helm: A Sweden native, Björkegren arrived to Louisville after leading Cyprus’ first division champion Apollon Ladies to an unbeaten season and the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying stages. Over the 2017-2018 season, Björkegren’s Linkopings FC won the top-tier Swedish league title and reached the UEFA WCL quarterfinals the following spring. He also coached a year in China, where his team reached the semifinals of two cup competitions.
New additions add squad depth: Racing’s acquisition of the 2019 World Cup winner McDonald was one of the league’s biggest moves of the offseason, with the club adding the NWSL’s all-time leader in assists who is also fourth all-time in goals. A day after a sequence of trades brought McDonald into the fold, Racing then picked up the two-time NCAA player of the year and national champion Howell from the college draft. A midfielder out of Florida State, Howell is becoming a regular on the U.S. national team, too.
Youth movement: Fox, the top pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, posted a breakout rookie season and returns in 2022 having established a regular role on the U.S. national team. Kizer, 24, is also back after a breakthrough campaign in which she scored her first five NWSL goals. The team’s top scorer last season, 21-year-old Ebony Salmon, should be a key part of the attack. Combined with a trio of college draft picks added, the average age of Racing’s rostered players is 24.9 years.
Pieces to the puzzle: Björkegren wants his team to play fluid, attacking soccer built on possession and pace. The squad lined up in a four-back system through most of the preseason including defender Addisyn Merrick, who missed most of 2021 due to injury. Howell’s addition to the midfield will shift Freja Olofsson from the No. 6 to a more natural No. 8, while McDonald’s consistency up top will keep Kizer at her preferred role on the wing. Katie Lund looks like the heir apparent in goal after winning the job late last season but continues to be pushed by draft pick Jordyn Bloomer.
Key additions
Howell and McDonald arrive in Louisville with serious pedigree and name recognition. But Racing also critically boosted its depth in a few areas on the pitch. Savannah DeMelo, the fourth pick in the college draft, gives Racing a central midfielder who can fill a number of roles. Up front, the reigning Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year Kirsten Davis joins the club a year after she was selected in the 2021 college draft with the expectation she’ll challenge for serious playing time. Former University of Michigan star Hillary Beall also adds depth at goalkeeper.
Racing has multiple international roster spots empty. Given Björkegren’s European connections, the club figures to continue adding to its roster through the Challenge Cup.
