Star forward Nadia Nadim is on the substitutes bench for Racing Louisville for tonight’s 8 p.m. ET match against the Kansas City Current at Lynn Family Stadium, lining up for her first appearance in 10 months since she tore her ACL last fall.
Nadim recently returned to full training and was activated off the season-ending injury list this week. The 35-year-old striker, one of Racing’s all-time leading scorers, has been rehabilitating in Louisville since preseason training camp began in late January.
Racing Louisville’s starting lineup for the third game against Kansas City this season is unchanged from the 2-2 draw at OL Reign in Seattle last weekend, with coach Kim Björkegren sticking to his selections for the eighth-place Louisvillians. Racing is four points behind sixth-place San Diego, the last team currently in the NWSL playoff picture. KC, too, is now in the hunt for the playoffs, just a point back from Louisville after a sluggish start to the campaign
Racing (3-4-7, 16 points) beat KC twice in a rare back-to-back in May, topping the Current in a UKG NWSL Challenge Cup game in Louisville on May 17, then traveling to Kansas City to win there on May 20 in a regular-season match.
Louisville will be led once again by captain Jaelin Howell, the defensive midfielder who is putting together an NWSL Best XI-worthy campaign. She ranks among the best in the NWSL in tackles won (first), duels won (fourth), interceptions (fifth), aerial duels won (sixth) and fouls won (11th).
Jordan Baggett and Kayla Fischer will join Howell in the midfield, making their fourth and fifth starts this year, respectively. The rookie Fischer scored her first professional goal three weeks ago in a 3-0 Challenge Cup win over Houston.
Ahead of the midfielders, Racing’s front line will feature Paige Monaghan and Wang Shuang, the goal scorers in this past weekend’s game in Seattle. Both players have two goals this season across all competitions. This will be Wang Shuang’s last game with Racing before departing to join China’s national team for 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup preparations.
Racing’s back line remains a familiar four: Left back Carson Pickett, center backs Abby Erceg and Elli Pikkujämsä and right back Lauren Milliet. Pickett, Erceg and Milliet have played every minute of the regular season, and Erceg has played every minute across all competitions, leading the NWSL in blocked shots per 90 minutes and ranking fourth in headed clearances and seventh in interceptions.
Goalkeeper Katie Lund is set to make her 41st career start for Racing, hoping to add to her five clean sheets this season.
Jordyn Bloomer and Jess McDonald were all previously listed as out on the player availability report. Uchenna Kanu has now departed for Nigeria’s national team camp ahead of the World Cup, joining Ary Borges, Savannah DeMelo, Thembi Kgatlana and Alex Chidiac on international duty.
Racing Team Sheet vs. Kansas City
1 – Katie Lund
16 – Carson Pickett
20 – Abby Erceg
4 – Elli Pikkujämsä
2 – Lauren Milliet
6 – Jaelin Howell (c)
9 – Kayla Fischer
19 – Jordan Baggett
5 – Paige Monaghan
22 – Kirsten Davis
77 – Wang Shuang
Substitutes: 99 – Olivia Sekany; 3 – Zaneta Wyne, 10 – Nadia Nadim, 13 – Emina Ekic, 15 – Julia Lester, 17 – Maddie Pokorny, 21 – Parker Goins, 25 – Rebecca Holloway, 31 – Riley Parker
