For the past few weeks, Racing Louisville FC fans may have resorted to singing Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic “I Will Survive” — it’s been that long since they’ve seen their favorite team in action, and even longer since they’ve seen them at home.
Racing will return to play for the first time since April 3 at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Lynn Family Stadium, following a FIFA international break, hosting a very in-form Orlando Pride team.
In addition to being Racing’s first game in three weeks, it will be just the second Louisville home game of the 2026 season and first since March 20, over a month ago.
Racing will debut its 2026 third kit — the “Disco Kit” — in the game. The disco ball-inspired look pays tribute to the city’s unique history with the 1970s disco craze.
Louisville (0-3-1, 1 point) hopes the new look, coupled with a hiatus from league play, will help shift the momentum early in the season. Friday’s hosts are still searching for their first win after the opening four games.
Just before the NWSL paused play, Louisville dropped its second straight away match in a hectic 4-3 game to the Houston Dash, where four of the seven combined goals were scored from 12 yards away. It was the first time in league history that four penalty kicks were awarded in a single game.
Each of Louisville’s three losses, though, is by the thinnest of margins: one goal. Friday presents Racing with another chance to flip those margins in just the club’s second home match of the year.
The task will surely be a challenge. The Pride (2-1-2, 8 points) will reenter play Friday riding a four-game unbeaten streak, highlighted by a thrilling 2-1 result over the previously unbeaten Angel City FC on home soil last time out. The stretch comes after losing the season opener to Seattle Reign FC.
A stout defensive record has played a large part in the success, with the club earning a clean sheet in half of its matches since that defeat. Overall, Orlando ranks tied for second-best in goals conceded (2) since the season’s second week.
On the other end, the Pride’s goals are coming from a familiar source: Barbra Banda. The Zambian star has tallied a club-high three goals, trailing only Houston’s Kiki Van Zanten for the league lead.
Follow Along
- The match will be available to stream for free on Victory+, the NWSL’s newest streaming partner. To create a free account, fans can visit victoryplus.com/register. 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…
Stars, Stripes and Sears: Louisville winger Emma Sears earned her 10th career call-up to the United States Women’s National Team this month. Sears played in two of the three friendlies against Japan, as the hosts took the series by two games to one. The appearances were her 18th and 19th senior caps for the United States, bringing her 2026 total to seven — two shy of 2025’s nine.
On the dotted line: She’s going nowhere. Fresh off a standout start to her sophomore campaign as a professional, Racing forward Sarah Weber inked a multi-year contract extension with the club earlier this week. The agreement keeps her in Louisville through the 2028 season. Weber continues to impress internationally, scoring an important first-half goal for the United States U-23 Women’s National Team in a recent 4-3 friendly win over France on April 16. At the club level, she has recorded two goals and one assist in the opening four matches.
Never a doubt: Two of Racing’s three goals in Houston came from the same midfield source — Taylor Flint. Flint converted twice from the spot, including one under pressure to tie the match at three in the 81st minute. The midfielder remains a perfect five for five in her career from 12 yards out in league play.
Defensive struggles: Keeping teams out of the net has been a major issue to begin the season for Louisville. While it is undoubtedly a short sample, Racing has allowed the second most goals in the league (10). Only Chicago Stars FC has allowed more with 11. At this point last year, Louisville had conceded just half of its current total: five.
Favorable history: While the history between Racing and the Pride is relatively even, Lynn Family Stadium hasn’t been all that kind to the Florida-based outfit. In six matches across all competitions in Butchertown, Orlando is winless. In fact, Louisville has won four out of the last five meetings played in Kentucky, including a 2-0 win last year. Racing’s goals that night came from Arin Wright and Taylor Flint.
Go ahead, take it: An interesting point about Orlando’s recent performance is that their last three results, including two wins, occurred when the club had less possession of the ball. The Pride had less than 40% possession in their last two games, yet they outshot each opponent. Seb Hines’ teams historically have shown an ability to win games with and without significant periods of possession.
