For more than one reason, the season’s first meeting between Racing Louisville FC and the Portland Thorns was memorable.
The two sides dueled to a 3-3 thriller on April 27 that featured two penalty kicks, bookings to both benches, a red card after the final whistle and disparaging postgame comments — it was high drama at Providence Park.
It meant that NWSL fans immediately circled this weekend’s return game at Lynn Family Stadium on their calendars — and with the way the season has unfolded, there’s more than just retribution on the line.
Racing Louisville (7-6-5, 26 points) hosts the Portland Thorns (7-6-5, 26 points) in a true six-pointer at 8 p.m. Friday — and just like in April, you need a razor’s edge to split the two clubs.
Louisville and Portland have identical records and are tied on points in the NWSL standings. Portland’s superior goal differential (+5) puts the sixth-place Thorns ahead of seventh-place Racing (-4).
Friday’s winner would take a big step toward the playoffs, with seven games remaining.
For Racing, April’s road point in Oregon was a turning point. The club was coming off a 4-1 loss at home to the San Diego Wave, undoubtedly the season’s nadir. Since the thorny tie against the Thorns, Racing has won six times, lost just twice, and surged into the NWSL playoff picture.
Currently, Louisville is on a four-game unbeaten run, earning nine points.
Portland, meanwhile, is on a two-game skid, the first losing streak of the Thorns’ season. Most recently, Portland fell to the last-place Utah Royals — it was just Utah’s second win of the campaign.
Fittingly, the game is getting the Prime Video treatment with the NWSL’s marquee broadcast this week — good thing, because there figures to be plenty to talk about after the final whistle.
Follow along…
- The match will be streamed on Prime Video, which is available online at amazon.com/primevideo or via the app on multiple platforms, including Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV. Fans can also listen to the match on Sports Talk 790AM or 790louisville.com.
- For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
Story lines…
She said it: “I do think that match can’t keep happening in this league. I think it’s embarrassing. It alters the match, it alters the sport. I think it’s embarrassing for the league, and I think it’s embarrassing for Louisville as a club, and very frustrating for us as players. Because to be honest, probably one of, if not the most frustrating match I’ve ever been a part of as a player. So I think the league needs to look at that closely and I think Louisville should be embarrassed,” said Portland Thorns midfielder Jessie Fleming after the 3-3 tie on April 27.
Whistle: April’s game included 41 combined fouls — 21 called against Portland. It was the most combined fouls committed in a single game in NWSL history.
Busy Bloomer: Jordyn Bloomer has put in the work since inheriting Louisville’s starting goalkeeper job. The 27-year-old has made five or more saves in 11 of her 12 starts this year, including nine straight. Her 58 total saves rank fourth in the league, despite Bloomer not playing in the first six games of the season. Bloomer leads the league with 4.8 saves per 90 minutes.
Using your head: Louisville leads the league in headed goals this season, with eight.
Yellow card: Racing Louisville will be without two regular starters Friday, as both midfielder Taylor Flint and forward Kayla Fischer will serve suspensions for yellow card accumulation. Combined, the pair have started 29 games, scored six goals and registered three assists. Additionally, Portland will be without head coach Rob Gale, also suspended for yellow card accumulation.
Hello, Laboa: Portland made an international splash this week, signing Colombian forward Valerin Loboa. The 18-year-old started six games for Colombia at this summer’s Copa América Femenina, scoring her first international goal in the tournament. She joins after playing for Deportivo Cali in Colombia.
