Off back-to-back losses, Racing Louisville FC is seeking a return to the win column with an 8 p.m. Saturday home match against National Women’s Soccer League newcomer Angel City FC at Lynn Family Stadium.
Racing (2-3-2, eight points) dropped a 3-0 decision to the North Carolina Courage this past Saturday and a 1-0 loss at Kansas City on May 30 after riding a four-match unbeaten streak to third place in the league. Coach Kim Björkegren wants his team to find more consistent energy on Saturday, which will coincide with the club’s Ali Night celebration.
“We win like a team, and we lose like a team, and now we can see who will be the real winners,” Björkegren said. “When we lose like this, who’s going to stand up and do everything they can in the training and next game to win?”
After a run of NWSL Challenge Cup rematches to start the regular season, Angel City is the second of four consecutive opponents Racing hasn’t seen yet this season.
Angel City (3-3-1, 10 points) struggled in the preseason tournament but started the regular season hot, winning three of four to open its debut campaign. Since then, ACFC lost twice and drew a third match, a 0-0 result on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The expansion team sits in fifth place, four spots ahead of Racing but only two points clear.
Saturday’s match will stream live on Twitch.
Follow along…
• For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. Also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
• The game will broadcast live on Twitch.
Player availability report
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Story lines...
Team of the Month: Capping off a strong first month in the NWSL, rookie midfielder Savannah DeMelo was named to the NWSL Best XI for May. The 24-year-old scored a highlight-reel, free kick goal from 27 yards out in Racing’s 1-0 win over league-leading San Diego on May 18, the team’s first victory of the 2022 NWSL regular season. She has started all seven matches this campaign, playing the third-most minutes on the team.
Nadim returns: After being out for nearly eight months with a knee injury, decorated forward Nadia Nadim made her long-awaited return to the pitch last Saturday, subbing on in the 67th minute. The Danish national team star tallied three goals and one assist in eight appearances last season, being named to the NWSL Best XI for August.
Shut out streak: Saturday’s loss to the Courage marked Racing’s second-straight match without a goal, the first time that has happened since July 2021, when Racing was blanked by the Washington Spirit (July 25) and OL Reign (July 31). In its short history, Racing has never been held scoreless in three straight matches.
Expansion team: Angel City FC is the second of two expansion teams Racing will face this season. Racing first hosted San Diego Wave FC in mid-May, beating the visiting Wave, 1-0, with Savannah DeMelo’s game-winning free-kick goal. Racing plays at San Diego on July 15 and at Angel City in Los Angeles on Sept. 25, the final road game of the regular season.
McCaskill faces her old team: Racing will face off against one of its former leaders on Saturday when Angel City forward Savannah McCaskill makes her return to Lynn Family Stadium. McCaskill, who vice-captained Racing’s inaugural roster, led the team in minutes and started 26 matches across all competition, scoring two goals and assisting three. In her first year with Angel City, McCaskill has started all seven of the club’s regular-season matches, tallying one assist.
On the move: Racing announced a trade with the KC Current on Thursday that sent Cece Kizer and Addisyn Merrick to their hometown club in exchange for $150,000 in allocation money, an international roster slot for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and up to an additional $25,000 should Kizer meet certain performance-based criteria with the Current.
