The second of two games on Racing Louisville FC’s West Coast swing is on tap, with the Louisvillians taking on host Portland Thorns FC at 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Providence Park.
For the first time in club history, the game will be broadcast locally. Fans in the Louisville area can watch the match on Circle over the air on WAVE channel 3.3, Spectrum cable channel 193 and Dish Network’s 370. Paramount+ will carry the nationally streamed broadcast.
Fans also have the opportunity to see it on the big screen at Lynn Family Stadium, an official watch site for the Kentucky Derby season’s opening event, Thunder Over Louisville. Prior to the fireworks show is Louisville City FC’s 7:30 p.m. game at Charleston Battery. Visit LynnFamilyStadium.com for tickets and more information.
Racing (0-0-3, 3 points) and Portland (2-0-1, 7 points) are two of the four remaining unbeaten National Women’s Soccer League teams, with this set as the first of two regular-season meetings between the clubs.
Louisville comes to Portland riding its longest run without a loss (five matches) in club history, a stretch that links back to the final two games of last season. Coach Kim Björkegren’s team drew 2-2 this past Saturday at Angel City in Los Angeles, surrendering a 2-0 halftime lead built with a Savannah DeMelo penalty and Kirsten Davis’s first goal of the campaign.
After several changes to its lineup in Los Angeles because of injuries and excused absences, Racing will be much closer to full strength in Oregon, where Louisville lost a back-and-forth 1-0 match against the Thorns last month in Portland’s annual preseason tournament.
Portland will be finishing a busy eight days, with Racing representing its third matchup since last Friday. The Thorns drew Houston, 1-1, in NWSL regular-season action a week ago, then lost, 1-0, at San Diego in a mid-week UKG NWSL Challenge Cup contest.
The reigning champions started the regular season hot, with back-to-back wins and four goals in each, led by 2022 NWSL MVP Sophia Smith.
Racing is aiming to change its series history against Portland, which has won each of the four contests between the teams since Louisville’s expansion franchise started playing in 2021.
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 be broadcast locally via Circle over the air on WAVE channel 3.3, Spectrum cable channel 193 and Dish Network’s 370. Paramount+ will carry the national stream, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.
Story lines …
Savvy DeMelo: After a standout first season in the NWSL, second-year midfielder Savannah DeMelo picked up right where she left off, with star performances in Racing’s opening three matches of the 2023 campaign. The California native tallied a goal and an assist in her return to her hometown last weekend in Los Angeles, helping Racing draw Angel City, 2-2. DeMelo converted a penalty kick after drawing the foul to earn it, her fifth professional goal and first from the spot. Her assist to Kirsten Davis later in the first half marked her third helper with Racing. DeMelo ranks fifth in the NWSL in match rating on FotMob and fifth in chances created (7).
Kiwi enters rarified air: Abby Erceg already surpassed 13,000 career minutes earlier this season, and the 33-year-old New Zealander added another career mark on Saturday, playing in her 150th NWSL match. A three-time NWSL champion, Erceg joined two other international players in reaching 150 – Welsh midfielder Jess Fishlock (OL Reign) and Canadian midfielder Christine Sinclair (Portland). Erceg is ninth in league history in minutes played.
Davis from long distance: Second-year forward Kirsten Davis opened her 2023 scoring account in style, smashing in a left-footed effort from 20 yards out for Racing’s second goal at Angel City. The Texas Tech grad now has four goals for Racing – two in the regular season, one in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup and one in The Women’s Cup. Of those four, two have come from outside the box.
Achievement unlocked: Rookie attacking midfielder Kayla Fischer added a new milestone to her young career, making her first start for Louisville in Racing’s 2-2 draw at Angel City this past Saturday. Fischer, a second-round NWSL Draft pick out of Ohio State, came off the bench in the season opener at Houston but slid into the starting lineup in Los Angeles with Wang Shuang out. The 23-year-old impressed in preseason, scoring two goals against NWSL competition, and signed a two-year contract in March.
Milliet leads the way: In her third year with Racing, Lauren Milliet is forging numerous paths. The Colorado native continues to set the pace as the club’s all-time appearances leader, with 49, and her three starts to begin the 2023 campaign have extended her run of consecutive starts for Racing to 35. Milliet is a Swiss Army knife for the Louisvillians: She has played fullback, central midfield and winger over her three years with the team.
Global Racing: Racing Louisville is the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continents on its roster. The Louisvillians already had an international flavor last year, with four continents represented. But the additions of Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges as well as Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu and South African forward Thembi Kgatlana nudged Racing to six continents. Abby Erceg, New Zealand’s all-time caps leader, reinforced Australian midfielder Alex Chidiac as a second representative from Oceania.
World Cup year: This is a big year for women’s soccer, with the 2023 FIFA World Cup set for Australia and New Zealand from July 20-August 20. Racing should be well-represented at the planet’s biggest competition. There are nine current internationals on Racing’s roster, and seven of their countries have qualified for the World Cup. The NWSL will only play one regular-season game in the World Cup window, instead scheduling half of the NWSL UKG Challenge Cup matches for that period.
