Racing Louisville’s chase for the first playoff appearance in club history continues with a long trip out west to Seattle, where the Louisvillians take on OL Reign at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Lumen Field.
The important regular-season match will be broadcast in the Louisville area on Circle — available over the air on WAVE 3.3, Spectrum cable channel 193 and Dish Network’s 370 – and streamed on Paramount+.
Racing (3-4-6, 15 points) left North Carolina last weekend frustrated by a 1-0 loss to the Courage, and coach Kim Björkegren’s squad needs a good road result this time around with Louisville five points out of the last playoff position in the NWSL standings. The Louisvillians are 6-2-2 over their past 10 matches across all competitions and haven’t lost back-to-back games this year.
OL Reign (7-4-2, 23 points) is tied for second place in the NWSL table and playing at home for the first time since a June 10 win over Kansas City. Coach Laura Harvey’s team is unbeaten in its last four games, including back-to-back wins over San Diego (regular season) and Portland (UKG NWSL Challenge Cup).
If Saturday’s meeting is anything like the first matchup between Racing and OL Reign, prepare to be entertained. The April 29 affair ended in a 2-2 draw, with Racing scoring two first-half goals and OL Reign rallying to score two in the second half and steal a point from the hosts.
Both teams enter Saturday’s match aiming to find some new chemistry amid roster departures as OL Reign loses eight players to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Racing loses four. Louisville expects to lose two more – Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria) and Wang Shuang (China) – in the coming days, but they’ll both available in Seattle.
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 streamed live on Paramount+, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.
Story lines …
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 will be well-represented at the planet’s biggest competition, with as many as six players suiting up their national teams. Midfielders Savannah DeMelo (USA), Ary Borges (Brazil) and Alex Chidiac (Australia) and forwards Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria), Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa) and Wang Shuang (China) have either already received World Cup call-ups or anticipate them. Kanu will play this Saturday in Seattle before joining Nigeria camp, and Wang Shuang intends to depart for China’s team camp after the July 7 match vs. Kansas City.
Department of Defense: Racing’s defensive improvement is one of the top story lines of its third year of existence. Led by star goalkeeper Katie Lund and back-line anchor Abby Erceg, Racing recently set a new club record for minutes without conceding a goal, posting 384 consecutive scoreless minutes from the third minute of the Washington match on June 3 to the 72nd minute on June 24 at North Carolina. Erceg leads the NWSL in blocked shots per 90 minutes, while Lund has five clean sheets in league play and ranks in the top three in saves per 90 minutes and save percentage.
Opportunity arises: With the departures of three regular starters in Borges, DeMelo and Kgatlana, Racing’s depth will be tested for the next two months. Fortunately the club moved this offseason to bolster its bench. Now, 2023 additions like Jordan Baggett, Kayla Fischer and Riley Parker will get the chance to play significant minutes during the World Cup, along with sometimes starters Paige Monaghan and Kirsten Davis and regular subs Parker Goins and Emina Ekic. Baggett and Fischer both scored their first goals in a Racing uniform over the past five weeks.
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, who made 146 appearances for New Zealand’s national team, reinforced Australian midfielder Alex Chidiac as a second representative from Oceania.
