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Racing Louisville FC will for the first time face off against a familiar foe when hosting the Washington Spirit at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lynn Family Stadium.

These clubs first met during the NWSL’s preseason Challenge Cup tournament, when the Spirit scored the game’s lone goal in the 93rd minute for a home victory. This week’s rematch will be played as part of the league’s 32-game regular season with both sides exiting opening day draws.

Louisville out-shot Kansas City last Saturday, but neither team found the back of the net in a scoreless tie, also at Lynn Family Stadium. Racing, however, has posted consecutive clean sheets with a pair of 0-0 score lines going back to the Challenge Cup.

The Spirit, who counted their victory over Racing as their only Challenge Cup victory, went up in the 76th minute of their season opener before conceding an 84th-minute equalizer against the Orlando Pride.

Lynn Family Stadium will on Friday continue to be limited to 50% of its 15,304 capacity under Kentucky’s latest guidelines for outdoor events numbering more than 1,000 people.

Here’s what to watch for…

 Coach Christy Holly says…

“They are an exceptionally talented team. The Spirit has a lot of international talent: Kelley O’Hara, Andi Sullivan and Emily Sonnett. Trinity Rodman is making a  big name for herself, but that is very exciting for the league. I think since we’ve played them, they have made a couple of changes. They have changed their system. They have brought in some of those big names that we have mentioned. We need to make sure that we are not looking back on that game as opposed to looking at their most recent performances.

“…We are very proud of the whole team. I think the bigger picture would be the clean sheet. We all defend as a team, and we score goals as a team. We look at that from the front line, through the midfield, into the backline and then ultimately, Michelle [Betos]. I think they have done fantastically well. They are growing together as a unit and understand their roles and responsibilities.”

Follow along

For Starting XI and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. Also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.

Watch the match on Twitch with play by play from Joe Malfa and color commentary by Kaylyn Kyle.

Notes to know

Their last meeting: Washington peppered 18 shots to Racing’s 8 when these clubs clashed in the Challenge Cup, which wound up being Racing’s first loss in heartbreaking fashion as Ashely Sanchez scored three minutes into second-half stoppage time.

While that last game was played during a FIFA window, the Spirit will have at their disposal Friday defenders Kelley O’Hara and Emily Sonnett, as well as midfielder Andi Sullivan, all of whom were with the U.S. Women’s National Team at the time.

Managerial matchp: Racing’s head coach, Christy Holly, has faced off against the Washington Spirit seven times, going 2-4 during his time leading the former Sky Blue FC in 2016 and 2017. Holly hadn’t coached against Washington’s manager, Richie Burke, until the two met in the Challenge Cup.

Spirited connections: Four of Racing’s 22 rostered players previously represented Washington. Playing rights to goalkeeper Katie Lund and forward Katie McClure were both selected by Racing during the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. Additionally, Racing acquired defender Brooke Hendrix and forward Cheyna Matthews on waivers.

Shutout streak: Racing has held opponents scoreless in back-to-back games, but how the expansion club did so was quite different. On May 2, against NJ/NY Gotham FC, it took four saves from goalkeeper Michelle Betos. Against Kansas City, most of the work was done in front of her, including a standout effort from rookie Emily Fox, who led the back line with 6 clearances and 3 interceptions.

Home heroics: A game last Saturday in which Cece Kizer was kept off the board marked a first for Racing. The forward scored the opening goal in both prior Racing games at Lynn Family Stadium, on April 10 against the Orlando Pride and April 26 versus the North Carolina Courage. Kizer’s pair of Challenge Cup goals were one off tournament MVP Debinha’s total.

A lineup change: Holly elected for one change as the regular season began, inserting the forward McClure on the right wing, marking her first start in lavender and third in NWSL competition. McClure started two games in the 2020 Fall Series. Her performance Saturday included a key pass and cross in 65 minutes. 

Box-to-box: Forward Savannah McCaskill put together a Woman of the Match effort against Kansas City by helping Racing on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she tallied 2 shots — including one from distance just high of the bar in the second half — and 3 key passes. Her high press also led to a pair of tackles, an interception and 9 possessions gained for the home side.

On debut: Speaking to Racing’s youthful roster, all logging their first NWSL regular season minutes last Saturday included from the starting lineup defenders Emily Fox, Brooke Hendrix and Kaleigh Riehl; midfielder Freja Olofsson; as well as forward Katie McClure. Additionally, midfielder Taylor Otto along with forwards Jorian Baucom and Emina Ekic subbed on for their debuts.

Crowding in: Racing’s regular season opener — also its third home game overall — saw a club-record 6,622 fans in attendance, eclipsing the 5,300 on hand for the club’s inaugural game, a memorable 2-2 draw with Orlando in the Challenge Cup. Current capacity limits allow for as many as 7,652 in the stadium before 100% of seats can be sold for games after June 11.

Reinforcements coming: Racing is awaiting arrivals of two highly anticipated additions with English defender Gemma Bonner (Manchester City) and forward Ebony Salmon (Bristol City) on their way pending approval of their work visas. Salmon, the more recent signing, was this week named The Athletic’s FA Women’s Super League Young Player of the Season for the recently completed 2020-2021 campaign.

Injury report

•  Addisyn Merrick – Out
• Julia Ashley – Out
• Noelle Higginson – Out
• Kaleigh Riehl – Questionable
• Cece Kizer – Questionable
• Cheyna Matthew – Questionable

Milestone watch

• Savannah McCaskill is two goals away from her 10th across all NWSL competitions.
• Yuki Nagasato is two goals away from her 15th goal across all NWSL competitions.
• Michelle Betos is one start from her 50th NWSL regular-season start. 
• Cece Kizer is three appearances from her 20th NWSL regular-season appearance. 

Following the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, future Racing Louisville FC forward Yuki Nagasato did not compete in the Fall Series. Instead, she chose to her hometown club Hayabusa Eleven in Atsugi City, Japan, Nagasato explained in an interview with BBC Sport’s Catherine Etoe. 

“Some people had a negative reaction, but I don’t care,” Nagasato said. “I feel so many people reacted in a positive way.

“I wish it would have been more normal, what I did. I hope more women’s players can apply to their men’s team.”

Nagasato featured in the BBC piece published Wednesday and headlined, alongside the Netherlands’ Ellen Fokkema, “The women who changed the rules by playing in men’s teams.”

Nagasato played her first match for Hayabusa Eleven in October.

“It was low key, but a lot of TV came to have interviews with me — it was crazy,” she said. “They made me feel strange. I was, ‘Oh, this is not a big thing for me, don’t give me pressure like that.’ But I played as I can and I played for the team, not myself.”

Nagasato made five appearances for the men’s team before a trade from the Chicago Red Stars landed her in Louisville for 2021.

“I was never nervous,” she said. “Of course, everything is faster and quicker than playing in a women’s team, but it’s not a big, big, difference.

“Now I’m very comfortable with the women’s team because it’s not faster or quicker than the men. That experience made me push to another level, for sure.”

To simply refer to Savannah McCaskill as a forward, her listed position on the Racing Louisville FC roster, discounts a crucial role carved out so far by the club’s vice captain in the middle of the field.

Take for instance the sort of defensive moments that seem to incite panic in an opposing attacker. McCaskill will often eye a player on the ball, point her tightly bunned hair in that direction and charge.

The efforts amounted to two tackles in Saturday’s season-opening scoreless draw with Kansas City. But McCaskill’s pressing tactics have also forced numerous errant passes and turnovers to get her own side rolling on the counter.

“I am more of a 10 and at times I’m going to have to drop in and defend and do some of the dirty work,” said McCaskill, who arrived to Racing last fall via a trade with the Chicago Red Stars. “I do have to cover at times, and I think that’s just kind of us as a team. We kind of have to be able to cover each other’s backs.

“…Whether it’s bombing forward or making an 80-yard recovery run, I’m just trying to help us win it at the end of the day.”

Voted Woman of the Match against Kansas City, McCaskill also contributed to Racing’s two best chances to score.

Into first half stoppage time, she dribbled to the end line, feinted a move away from it and deftly beat the opposing defender with a quick turn back toward the goal. McCaskill fed a pass to Cece Kizer, whose one-touch try soared over the cross bar.

Then in the second half, McCaskill pulled a 60th-minute shot from distance that appeared to graze top netting, also hovering just above the bar.

“Savannah has been exceptional for our team,” said Racing’s head coach, Christy Holly. “I think this has been a big chance for her to be the Savannah McCaskill that we think is in her locker.”

McCaskill, selected second overall in the 2018 NWSL Draft out of South Carolina, also earned multiple U.S. Women’s National Team caps as her pro career began that year. Eventually traded from the former Sky Blue FC to the Red Stars, she found herself among many other international talents.

“Sav has had a tough time in the NWSL,” Holly said. “We really want her to express herself going forward and use her intensity and aggression. She has been fantastically important for us. She has been a wonderful leader within the team.

“We think there is a whole lot more in her locker. You can see what she has been working on day in and day out on practice field and try to translate that onto the field in a consistent basis.”

With ambitions of getting back into the USWNT player pool, McCaskill could well draw attention if she continues at this pace. The 24-year-old tried a team-high eight crosses Saturday, including one in the 39th minute that nearly bounced in for an own goal off a Kansas City defender.

“You see her leadership through her work rate, her attitude and her work ethic,” said Racing defender Erin Simon. “She’s up and down for 90-plus minutes straight and giving her all on both sides of the ball. She’s attacking and so defensive for us in tracking those runs back and winning those balls for us, but also creating in the attack. She’s such a vital person and player for us on this team.”

“Just to be able to represent this city and this group of fans and this team is amazing,” McCaskill added. “I hope going forward we can start getting some wins, but I hope that the fans and everyone that’s watching us knows we’re not just going to be another expansion team.

“We’re here to fight. We’re here to win games. We’re here to compete. We’re here to really establish ourselves as one of the top teams in this league.”

Thomas Costello covers the NWSL for Beyond Women’s Sports, which offers stories throughout the world of women’s professional and collegiate athletics. Follow Thomas on Twitter @1ThomasCostello.

For an expansion team, every game is the opportunity to build team history. While the NWSL Challenge Cup brought moments of excitement for Racing Louisville FC, coach Christy Holly’s side wants to turn moments into full match performances. On Saturday, the club marked its first clean sheet when facing some talented offensive weapons from visiting Kansas City in its season debut.

Here’s what we learned from the 0-0 draw at Lynn Family Stadium.

The defense flaunts foundation

For the second consecutive match, Louisville didn’t concede a goal. Against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the Challenge Cup, goalkeeper Michelle Betos stopped multiple shots in key moments, to secure a positive result. In Saturday’s NWSL regular season debut, Betos had a big save in the second minute, but it was the defensive back line and midfield that combined to make the captain’s afternoon easier.

“To try to limit a team like that, and keep a clean sheet but really to limit to smaller chances is something to take away from this,” said coach Christy Holly. Louisville kept U.S. international Amy Rodriguez to two shots on target. Mallory Weber, who showed the league in its final Challenge Cup match that she can score from anywhere, didn’t land a shot on target.

Louisville accomplished this by keeping a defensive shape, pressuring Kansas City throughout the midfield and getting players in front of shots. Racing blocked eight shots and out-tackled Kansas City 17-14. Most shots Kansas City tried were in poor areas or had a Louisville player influencing its trajectory.

A clean sheet isn’t as exciting as a big goal and flashing stadium lights, but it’s the sign of a team with strong communication — one that’s growing as a unit and can expect to get stronger once Addisyn Merrick returns from injury and Gemma Bonner joins the club following her transfer from Manchester City.

The goals will come

For the last three weeks, Holly wanted his team to start taking more chances on offense. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment or a wide-open teammate, he preferred shots thrown on net. That’s. Because when the ball gets to bouncing around the penalty area, good things can happen.

On Saturday, there weren’t any goals scored, but Louisville got more crosses into the box. Those chances could soon turn into goals.

“We need to be a little bit braver and put ourselves in positions where we can actually score,” said Holly. “We have to take more responsibility as an individual and as a teammate to step up and let the shot go.”

Louisville took 13 shots on Saturday, more than its Challenge Cup-high of 11 in the Gotham FC game. Clearly, this team is listening to Holly.

Midfielder Lauren Milliet had the one shot on goal, in the 36th minute, when a deflected pass found her feet outside of the penalty area. A low shot with pace found its way through a congested box of players but was saved by KC’s Nicole Barnhart. For vice-captain and midfielder Savannah McCaskill, its about keeping the chances coming.

“We have to keep going,” said McCaskill. “We have to keep putting shots on frame if we’re going to be able to score.”

McCaskill does it all

While listed as a forward on the team sheet, she tends to be everywhere on the field. On Saturday, McCaskill played her position of a forward/winger with the creation of chances and taking shots.

When she wasn’t helping create, she was making life hard for Kansas City. Looking at the stats and seeing only two tackles next to her name is deceptive when trying to formulate how strong she is on defense. McCaskill bolts towards the ball, regardless of where it’s at on the field. If she’s in the area, she isn’t sitting back and waiting for backup. It’s all part of her mentality as a player.

“I do have to cover at times, and I think that’s just kind of us as a team,” said McCaskill. “All of us need to be able to cover each other’s backs, and sometimes I’m willing to do the dirty work. Take the foul, take the card — whatever it happens to be to help us stop their attack.”

She did receive a yellow in the match, but that was to help the defense. Kansas City was about to march into the box uncontested, and McCaskill opted for the professional foul. The subsequent free kick missed the target and Louisville stayed on level.

“We really want to allow her to express herself going forward and use her intensity and use her aggression defensively,” said Holly. “She’s been fantastically important for us. She’s been a wonderful leader within the team.”

That leadership is evident on the field. When players are down for injury or when there’s a break in the action, McCaskill is talking to teammates about positioning and tactics. While expansion teams have the fallback of lowering expectations, that’s not in the language in the locker room.

“We’re here to really establish ourselves as one of the top teams in this league,” said McCaskill.

Louisville’s next opportunity to prove its place is Friday. The club welcomes Trinity Rodman, Kelley O’Hara and the Washington Spirit to Lynn Family Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

Racing Louisville FC opened its inaugural regular season Saturday on the front foot, producing the majority of chances en route to a scoreless draw with fellow NWSL expansion side Kansas City.

However, visiting Kansas City is a reincarnation of the former Utah Royals, an established club. Racing built its roster from scratch since beginning to acquire players last fall to split points in the first of 24 games this season.

Louisville out-shot and out-possessed Kansas City to the delight of a club-record 6,622 at Lynn Family Stadium, evidencing the group’s potential out of the gates.

“We limited them to a few good chances,” said coach Christy Holly. “They had Amy Rodriguez, Darian Jenkins, Mallory Weber and Victoria Pickett. To limit a team like that, and not only keep a clean sheet, but to limit them to smaller chances is something good we take away from this.

“I think the frustration is that in the first half, I thought that we need to clinical with our opportunities. We didn’t unfortunately and we will have to improve on that.”

Racing managed just one shot on goal, in the 36th minute when forward Yuki Nagasato played a cross that was deflected out to the top of the box. Midfielder Lauren Milliet followed up with a rocket handled by Kansas City keeper Nicole Barnhart.

But, particularly thanks to vice captain Savannah McCaskill, Racing remained on the attack.

In the 39th minute, her cross from the right side caromed off a Kansas City defender and nearly went in for a goal. Two minutes into stoppage time, McCaskill made a nifty turn along the end line, drove toward the goal and left a pass for forward Cece Kizer that soared just high.

A 54th-minute punt out by Racing’s goalkeeper, Michelle Betos, thwarted arguably Kansas City’s best chance at breaking the stalemate.

In all, Racing tallied 13 shots to Kansas City’s 11, blocking 8 of those opposing attempts, and controlled 50.6% of the possession.

“We did a better job at staying as a unit,” McCaskill said. “We created chances, and we need to find a way to put one in the back of the net at the end of the day and find a way to win. I think it was all around a pretty solid 90-minute performance, but obviously we need to find the back of the net and figure out a way to not let our level drop throughout the 90 minutes.”

Across all NWSL competitions — which includes the preseason Challenge Cup tournament — Racing moved its record to 0-2-3. While the club is still seeking its first victory, Saturday’s result marked consecutive draws and clean sheets dating back to a May 2 trip to play NJ/NY Gotham FC.

“I can’t tell you enough about how proud I am of this team’s performance to keep a clean sheet for two games in a row,” said defender Erin Simon. “We are not conceding, which is really awesome from a defensive point of view. Obviously, we want to start scoring some goals and creating a better result in that final third.

“We are still learning each other as teammates, learning our tendencies, and we are still implementing our style of play. It is a long season, and we have a lot of growing to do so this is a really good foundation to build off of.”

Racing has less than a week to prepare for its next outing as it hosts the Washington Spirit at 7:30 p.m. Friday, also at Lynn Family Stadium.

Game Summary: Racing Louisville vs. Kansas City

Venue: Lynn Family Stadium

Kickoff: 5 p.m.

Weather: 73 degrees, Partly cloudy

Woman of the Match: Savannah McCaskill

Attendance: 6,622

Scoring

Racing Louisville FC (0, 0, 0)

Kansas City (0, 0, 0)

Stats Summary: Racing Louisville FC/ Kansas City

Shots: 13 / 11

Shots on Goal: 1 / 3

Fouls: 14 / 9

Offside: 0 / 0

Corner Kicks: 7 / 1

Saves: 3 / 1

Lineups

Racing Louisville: 1 – Michelle Betos, 3 – Erin Simon, 11 – Emily Fox, 18 – Kaleigh Riehl, 15 – Brooke Hendrix, 7 – Savannah McCaskill, 22 – Katie McClure (65’ 13 – Emina Ekic), 8 – Freja Olofsson, 17 – Yuki Nagasato, 2 – Lauren Milliet (82’ 19 – Taylor Otto), 5 – Cece Kizer (90+ Jorian Baucom)

Subs not used: 20 – Cheyna Matthews, 14 – Nealy Martin, 23 – Katie Lund, 27 – Vanessa Kara, 21 – Shelby Money

Kansas City: 18 – Nicole Barnhart, 3 – Kristen Edmonds (80’ 19 – Michelle Maemone), 24 – Taylor Leach, 2 – Rachel Corsie, 6 – Katie Bowen, 99 – Victoria Pickett, 20 – Mallory Weber (63’ 21 – Mariana Larroquette), 9 – Lo’eau LaBonta (33’ 26 – Jordyn Listro), 13 – Darian Jenkins (45’ 15 – Michele Vasconcelos), 11 – Desiree Scott (90+ 14 -gaby Vincent), 8 – Amy Rodriguez

Subs not used: 7 – Elizabeth Ball, 29 – Kate Del Fava, 28 – Addie McCain, 27 – Carly Nelson

Discipline Summary

Racing Louisville FC: McCaskill (yellow) 53’

Referee: Adorae Monroy

Assistant Referees: Deleana Quan & Chris Schurfranz

Fourth Official: Nabil Bensalah

Racing Louisville FC kicked off its first NWSL regular season on Saturday against Kansas City in front of a club-record crowd of 6,622 fans, playing to a scoreless draw.

Coach Christy Holly also made one change to his lineup exiting the NWSL Challenge Cup, a preseason tournament that saw hometown hero Emina Ekic start four games on the right wing.

This go around, Katie McClure, who Racing selected from the Washington Spirit in the 2020 expansion draft, got the call before Ekic subbed on in the second half. McClure managed a chance created from her 21 touches while passing at a 76.9% clip.

“For her first ever NWSL start, I thought she did well,” said Racing coach Christy Holly. “We are exceptionally proud of her. Katie has a very good eye for goal which, for this team, separates her a bit. You can see that in her aggressiveness and her mindset toward goal. We like to see that.

“We would like to see her create more one-v-one opportnities and take advantage of them. Overall, she was a good threat, and we are very proud of her.”

Plus more notes and quotes from the season opener…

• Attacking, midfielder Lauren Milliet took Racing’s only shot on target, also pacing her side in total shots with 3.

• Defender Emily Fox led the club in clearances (6), interceptions (3) and possession gained (9).

• Distributing, forward Savannah McCaskill tried a team-high 8 crosses in what was her 30th regular season NWSL appearance.

• Goalkeeper Michelle Betos made her 95th professional appearance and her 50th NWSL regular season appearance.

• Midfielder Freja Olofsson, new to the NWSL this year, made her 75th professional appearance.

More of what Holly said…

“We need to be a little bit braver and put ourselves in positions where we can actually score. We must take a little more responsibility as an individual and as a teammate to step up and let the shot go. We just need to be a little bit more clinical and a little bit more ruthless in our movements and our decisions around the 18.”

What defender Erin Simon said…

“Obviously, it is a huge positive that we got that clean sheet as a team and it is a building block. We are a first-year team, and they were formally Utah, so there were some established players on that team. For us to come away with a clean sheet, and I thought we were the more dangerous team, it was a really good start. I’m proud of the team’s performance.”

What McCaskill said…

“We created chances and we need to find a way to put it in the back of the net at the end of the day and find a way to win. I think it was all around a pretty solid 90-minute performance, but obviously we need to find the back of the net and figure out a way to not let our level drop throughout the 90 minutes.”