Racing Louisville has begun the search for its next head coach, with the goal of moving aggressively in the coaching market.
Racing Louisville general manager Ryan Dell will lead the search, saying he wants a thorough and well-vetted but efficient process as the club sets its sights on a playoff push in 2024. Several key dates of the offseason are fast approaching, with free agents permitted to start signing with teams Nov. 20 and the expansion and NWSL drafts set for this winter.
“We have created a list of candidates and we’re excited by that list,” Dell said at a press conference Friday. “It’s a very diverse list. It’s a very strong list.”
The club’s next head coach will “have great communication and be collaborative,” Dell said, with a focus on player and staff development. Experience with the NWSL is important, too. The roster pieces are in place, he added, for Racing to be a perennial power in the NWSL, pointing to the core group signed through the next few seasons.
Seven of Racing’s regular starters this season are signed through the 2025 campaign, including the team’s standout midfield trio.
“The reality is we have a young core who can compete right away,” Dell said. “Look at Savannah DeMelo, Jaelin Howell, Ary Borges. That’s just talking about the midfield. It’s unbelievable. They’re all under 25 years old. That’s something to be excited about. Any coach who comes in here is going to look at this roster and say, ‘We’ve got a lot of pieces to compete right away,’ and then we’re hoping to obviously work with them to bring in pieces that would fit their style of play.”
Owning world-class facilities that are top of class in the NWSL, Racing is also the only club in the NWSL with a complete developmental pyramid that tracks from the elementary-aged youth soccer levels in the Racing Academy through U19s and the USL W League pre-professional circuit.
Dell, who previously spent 10 years working for U.S. Soccer and most recently served as team administrator and manager for the U.S. Women’s National Team, placed an emphasis on his desire for a coach “who can grow that player pathway” and work closely with the Racing Academy.
“This is a club that can be the best club in the world,” Dell said. “Our goal is to be the best club in the world, not just in the NWSL, not just in the United States. The candidates who have already expressed interest since 11 o’clock today speak volumes to that, so we’re really excited by what we can do here. I’m excited to be here in Louisville and build something really special. I know we’re on the pathway to that.”
