Racing Louisville added to its midfield corps with the signing of Japanese midfielder and former University of Kentucky standout Yuuka Kurosaki, the club announced Thursday.
The 26-year-old Kurosaki, who was a Japanese youth national team regular, signed a two-year deal with Racing through the 2025 season, with a mutual option for 2026.
“We are extremely excited to bring Yuuka to Racing,” said Racing coach Bev Yanez. “Her technical ability and positional awareness on the pitch stood out massively to us. We definitely feel she is a great addition in several aspects.”
“First of all, I would like to thank the organization and all of the people who made this happen and believed in me,” Kurosaki said. “After talking to the coaches, I really liked the positive and supportive culture that the team has on and off the pitch. I believe this is the place I want to grow as a player and as a person. I am super excited to start a new chapter with Racing Louisville FC. See you soon at Lynn Family Stadium!”
A native of Fukuoka, a port city along Japan’s southern coast, Kurosaki recalled watching Yanez play a decade ago in Japan’s Nadeshiko League, where Yanez won the golden boot as the league’s top scorer and claimed two league titles. Kurosaki saw her story with Yanez come full circle this fall, when Yanez’s former coach in Japan, a mutual friend of Kurosaki, connected the two.
Kurosaki joins Racing after spending the 2023 season with Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS) in Finland, where she led her team to its third consecutive Kansallinen Liga title, scoring three goals. The central midfielder also made two appearances in the opening qualification round of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Before her stint in Finland, Kurosaki made 20 appearances over two seasons with Arna-Bjørnar in the Toppserien, Norway’s top flight.
Kurosaki represented her country in the youth national team ranks, playing for the U-17 squad at the 2013 Four Nations Tournament. She led her high school to a national championship before enrolling at the University of Kentucky in the spring of 2015.
In two years at Kentucky, Kurosaki totaled six goals and two assists in 24 matches, leading the Wildcats in scoring over the 2018 season. She transferred to the University of Oklahoma to finish her collegiate career, tallying four goals and four assists in 26 games.
After her own experience in the United States, Kurosaki started the YK Sports Agency, which helps Japanese women’s soccer players find collegiate athletics opportunities in the U.S.
After three years in Europe, Kurosaki returns to the U.S. to play in one of the NWSL’s most talented midfields, joining U.S. Women’s National Team regular Savannah DeMelo, team captain Jaelin Howell, Brazil star Ary Borges and newly signed free agent Marisa Viggiano, along with promising prospect Kayla Fischer, recently signed Maddie Pokorny and NWSL veteran Jordan Baggett.
