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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.”

Having concluded the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup tournament, Racing Louisville FC will kick off its inaugural campaign Saturday against fellow league expansion side Kansas City at Lynn Family Stadium.

Racing went 0-2-2 during the Challenge Cup, gaining valuable experience before the points count over a 24-game regular season, with each NWSL club seeing the others at least once home and away.

As with Racing, Kansas City enters the weekend looking for its first victory after going 0-3-1 in the West Division. The former Utah Royals franchise relocated going into 2021.

Louisville, meanwhile bookended its run with draws, most recently playing East Division winner NJ/NY Gotham FC to a scoreless tie. Portland Thorns FC knocked off Gotham in penalties to win the Challenge Cup.

Lynn Family Stadium will 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 as the regular season begins…

Coach Christy Holly says…

“We got to learn a lot about ourselves during the Challenge Cup, and we will get to learn even more as the season evolves. The results didn’t go our way, but in a sense I did not want us to be misguided by sneaking a win when we are underperforming. I think it keeps our feet on the ground. It makes it very realistic about where we are as a club. We are in the embryonic stages of our growth in the NWSL. There are no easy games in the NWSL. If you take your foot off the gas for a second, these teams will punish you. That happened to us a couple of times. I think there were definitely a few games where we should have put the game to bed and we didn’t. That is great learning for us. I think we are in a decent place. I think it would be nice to get that win.” 

“Kansas (City) is very dangerous. They have a very experienced team. They have been around for a long time. I know they just got there, but the grass is still green in Kansas. It is the same as it is in Utah. It Is a team with a tremendous amount of experience from A-Rod (Amy Rodriguez), Desiree Scott, to Rachel Corsie to Nicole Barnhart. They have a real good spine for their team. What they did is in the last six to 12 months is add pace. They are a quick, dangerous team that on the counterattack can be dangerous and a real threat to us. We need to be buttoned up. We need to be organized. We do have a good feeling going into the game, but we need to be on the top of our game or else they will punish us.” 

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 CBS Sports Network with play by play from Jenn Hildreth and color commentary by Lori Lindsey. Internationally, fans can stream the match on Twitch with play by play from Josh Tolle and color commentary by Kaylyn Kyle.

Notes to know

Know the Foe: In January, Utah Royals announced its move to Kansas City, a shift back after the former FC Kansas City ceased operations four years prior. Under new ownership, the club brought along 15 players from Utah’s roster last year including World Cup winner and captain Amy Rodriguez along with Canadian standouts Desiree Scott and Diana Matheson.

National Spotlight: Saturday’s game will air on CBS Sports Network, making for the second national broadcast in Lynn Family Stadium’s brief history following last July’s opener between the USL Championship side Louisville City FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on ESPN2. Racing could also end its season on national TV, with CBSSN having the option to pick up the Oct. 31 finale at Gotham FC.

Season Structure: Racing and Kansas City will kick off the NWSL regular season, with two other games to follow Saturday and two more Sunday. Each club has 12 home and 12 away games head, playing through the rescheduled Olympics until the final weekend of October. The top six teams qualify for the playoffs, which conclude with a final the weekend of Nov. 20.

Managerial Matchup: Racing coach Christy Holly has never faced off against Kansas City’s Huw Williams, a native of Wales who helped found and served as general manager or FC Kansas City. Holly, himself a previous coach in the league at Sky Blue FC, went 2-0-1 against that franchise while there in 2016 and 2017.

Kansas Connections: While no members of Racing’s roster have played professionally for Kansas City, two grew up in the area with defender Addisyn Merrick from Lee’s Summit, Mo., and striker Cece Kizer from Overland, Park, Kan. Additionally, forward Katie McClure, who is from Wichita, Kan., attended the University of Kansas with Merrick.

Shutout Preserved: In each of Racing’s opening three Challenge Cup games, the new club conceded goals after the 83rd minute. That trend ended in its tournament finale, a 0-0 draw at Gotham FC. Goalkeeper Michelle Betos made four saves, while Brooke Hendrix led the defense with 3 clearances and Kaleigh Riehl won possession 9 times.

Goal Getters: Three Racing players hit the back of the net in the Challenge Cup. Forward Cece Kizer led the way with two goals, both openers in the club’s home games at Lynn Family Stadium, while Brooke Hendrix and Jorian Baucom also scored. Four players — Kizer, Emily Fox, Freja Olofsson and Erin Simon — tallied assists.

Minutes Leaders: Three Racing players went the distance in all four Challenge Cup matches, totaling 360-plus minutes on the pitch. They were the goalkeeper Betos, the defender Hendrix and Savannah McCaskill, a forward by trade who has played in behind the club’s front line, taking on a role of pressing, winning possession back and distributing.

NWSL Debuts: A young Racing side saw eight players log their first minutes in the league, though half the roster is awaiting regular season NWSL debuts. The list includes goalkeepers Katie Lund and Shelby Money; defenders Julia Ashley, Emily Fox, Brooke Hendrix, Nealy Martin, Addisyn Merrick and Kaleigh Riehl; midfielders Noelle Higginson, Freja Olofsson and Taylor Otto; as well as forwards Jorian Baucom, Emina Ekic, Katie McClure and Vanessa Kara.

New Additions: Earlier this week, Racing announced the signing of rising star striker Ebony Salmon. Previously with English club Bristol City, she numbered 6 goals and 3 assists during the recently concluded FA Women’s Super League season. Salmon, as with recent defensive signing Gemma Bonner from Manchester City, will move to Louisville upon receiving her visa.

Injury report

•  Addisyn Merrick – Out
• Julia Ashley – Out
• Noelle Higginson – Out
• Brooke Hendrix – Questionable
• Erin Simon – Questionable
• Cece Kizer – Questionable
• Cheyna Matthew – Questionable

Milestone watch

• Michelle Betos is one appearance from making her 50th in NWSL regular season play.
• Freja Olofsson is one appearance away from her 75th professional appearance. 
• Savannah McCaskill is two goals away from her 10th across all NWSL competitions. 
• Yuki Nagasato is two goals away from her 15th across all NWSL competitions.

Lynn Family Stadium, home of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville City FC, will effective immediately follow updated Centers for Disease Control guidelines mirrored by the commonwealth of Kentucky.

Per the CDC, people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — meaning two weeks separated from receiving their final dose — can now go without wearing a mask or physically distancing in most settings.

Those apprehensive about attending an upcoming game can fill out the form at this link to request an account credit with a deadline of noon Saturday for Racing Louisville FC’s season opener. For more information, contact our staff at (502) 568-2489 or by emailing tickets@loucity.com.

Stadium staff will continue to sanitize the venue before, during and after events, especially at high touch points. Also, existing protocols permitting only clear bags, no cash sales and glass barriers at concession areas will continue.

In line with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s lift on capacity restrictions, Lynn Family Stadium will move to 75% capacity on May 28 and 100% capacity on June 11.

Ebony Salmon, an emerging forward who recently received her first call up to England’s national team, will continue her career with Racing Louisville FC, the club announced Thursday.

Salmon signed a two-year contract to play for the National Women’s Soccer League expansion side, which opens its inaugural season at 5 p.m. Saturday when hosting Kansas City at Lynn Family Stadium. Salmon will move to the United States and join Racing upon receiving her visa.

A 20-year-old who came up through the Aston Villa Academy, Salmon starred during the 2020-2021 FA Women’s Super League campaign, numbering a team-leading 6 goals to go with an assist. Bristol City named her its Women’s Player of the Year just before the season’s end.

“We are proud to welcome Ebony to Louisville,” said Racing’s head coach, Christy Holly. “Our team worked very hard to secure her signing, as we know she is one of the best young talents in the world and was so well developed by the coaches at Bristol. Even at such a young age, Ebony has already proven to be a dangerous player and one that can have a very big impact upon our team.

“We feel there is a strong alignment between Ebony’s ambitions and those of Racing Louisville.”

Having graduated from Aston Villa’s academy to the first team in 2017, Salmon bagged 7 goals that year across 12 appearances in the FA Women’s Super League 2. The following season, Salmon signed with Manchester United, which loaned her to FA Women’s Championship member Sheffield United. There, Salmon added 7 more goals to her resume.

Salmon moved to Bristol City for the 2019-2020 campaign. She led the club with 5 goals, including the only tally in a 1-0 away victory Jan. 5 over her former club, Manchester United, to mark Bristol’s first victory of the season. In addition to her WSL accomplishments in 2020-2021, Salmon helped Bristol City to the FA Women’s League Cup before a defeat to powerhouse Chelsea.

Internationally, Salmon has represented England at both the U-17 and U-19 levels. While wearing the captain’s armband for the UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship in 2018, Salmon registered a hat trick against Italy to secure her team a place in the knockout rounds. In February, Salmon received her first senior national team call up and cap when she subbed on in a victory over Northern Ireland.

“I am so excited to be joining Racing Louisville,” Salmon said. “After several conversations with Christy, it is clear to see the huge ambitions of this club, and I can’t wait to be a part of it. A move to the NWSL is going to be completely different to what I am used to, but at this point in my career I think it is the right opportunity and environment for me to push on and thrive.”

Salmon, who will wear No. 9, adds to a Racing Louisville attack thus far led by Cece Kizer, who scored 2 goals and added an assist during the NWSL’s preseason Challenge Cup tournament. This signing marks the second for Racing from the Women’s Super League, adding to the club’s recent acquisition of former Manchester City defender Gemma Bonner.

During her collegiate career, Racing Louisville FC defender Kaleigh Riehl cracked the code on how to get on and then stay on the field as she set the NCAA record for minutes as a field player.

Riehl, who went the distance in Racing’s final two Challenge Cup games, could be trending toward something similar in Louisville as the club comes up on its regular season opener at 5 p.m. Saturday, hosting Kansas City at Lynn Family Stadium.

“I didn’t even know that was a stat,” Riehl said, looking back to her college days at Penn State, in which she logged 8,847 minutes on the pitch. “I don’t play for stats. So, it was not anything that was a goal of mine, but it was pretty cool to achieve.”

Along the way, Riehl also made a number of appearances with the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team, among other call ups in red white and blue. The former Sky Blue FC — now NJ/NY Gotham FC — selected Riehl 11th overall in the 2020 NWSL Draft to mark the beginning of her pro career.

Riehl partially credits luck for her ability to stay fit but also believes select habits have kept her competing at a high level.

“Nutrition, hydration, recovery and doing all of the little things is what ultimately keeps you out on the field,” she said. “I think you just put yourself in the best situation to stay healthy.  Of course, things will happen, but I do think that is important to always have.”

Riehl noted that she also receives treatment every day it’s offered, joking that Racing’s staff “is probably like ‘Oh, her again.’

“I am grateful that they are always in such a great mood, and they don’t think it is a burden when I am in there every day,” she added.

Whatever works for a center back whose presence will be crucial for Racing, a 2021 NWSL expansion side.

Going back to her freshman year at Penn State, Riehl logged 2,360 minutes played, the fourth-most in a single season in program history as Penn State went on to win a national title. The following year, Riehl redshirted as she traveled with the youth national team to compete in the 2016 U-20 World Cup in Papa New Guinea. 

“It was incredible,” she said. “I loved that year, and  I am thankful for my college coaches for allowing me to have that experience.”

In her next three seasons with Penn State, Riehl consistently logged more than 2,100 minutes per year. As a senior, she surpassed current USWNT defender and captain Becky Sauerbrunn’s 8,523 minutes to set the NCAA record for minutes played by a field player. 

“I didn’t even know beforehand,” Riehl said. “Then, our media person told me, and I was like ‘Oh, that’s really cool.’”

Even counting goalkeepers, Riehl ranks second among all women’s college soccer players ever in minutes played, seven short of fellow Penn State alum and goalkeeper Emily Oleksiuk.

The more that you are on the ball and practicing in training both in a team environment and on your own, you gain confidence from that,” Riehl said. “You can believe in yourself when you spend so much time trying to perfect your craft.”

Selected from Sky Blue by Racing in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft, Riehl arrived to Louisville after a stint on loan to Paris FC, a member of France’s top division. Of course, the Virginia native found a way to tally more minutes during the NWSL’s offseason.

In her second appearance for Racing, Riehl contributed to the club’s first clean sheet, a scoreless draw May 2 with her former club, Gotham FC.

“It is big for us,” Riehl said afterward. “The last few games, we have given up a goal in the very end. Just being more focused and talking through those moments and making sure that we finish the game out with a clean sheet — it is great for us to keep it at zeros.”

Next, Riehl and the rest of Racing Louisville will look to carry that over to an inaugural 24-game regular season.

The NWSL on Friday released a league-wide broadcast schedule that could see 2021 expansion club Racing Louisville FC both start and end its inaugural season on national TV.

Racing, which opens on May 15, will host Kansas City at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. The station also has the option to pick up Racing’s Oct. 31 finale at NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Aside from the televised dates, Racing Louisville games will air on a pair of streaming services with 16 games on Paramount+, formerly known as CBS All Access, and six on Twitch.

Racing’s roster boasts World Cup winner Yuki Nagasato from Japan and a pair of players with U.S. Women’s National Team experience in forward Savannah McCaskill and defender Emily Fox. The club enters the season with a strong local tie, too, in rookie forward Emina Ekic, a local native who played for the University of Louisville.

Plenty of domestic and international stars are expected to pass through Lynn Family Stadium this year as well, adding to names such as USWNT regulars Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, along with Brazil’s Marta and Debinha, each of whom played against Racing during the preseason Challenge Cup tournament.

Season tickets — including a number of perks, among them an exclusive team scarf and merchandise discounts — are available at www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc or by calling (502) 568-2489.

Additionally, CBSSN will air three playoff contests, including one quarterfinal and both semifinals. CBS will carry the championship game.

All matches this season will be streamed live internationally on Twitch.

With the full schedule below, fans can visit www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc/2021-schedule to sync game days to calendars.

2021 Racing Louisville FC schedule
(Home games listed in bold with all times Eastern)

May 15: Racing Louisville FC vs. Kansas City (5 p.m., CBSSN)

May 21: Racing Louisville FC vs. Washington Spirit (7:30 p.m., Twitch)

May 28: North Carolina Courage vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m., Twitch)

June 5: Portland Thorns FC vs. Racing Louisville (10:30 p.m., Twitch)

June 20: Racing Louisville FC vs. Houston Dash (3 p.m., Paramount+)

June 23: Racing Louisville FC vs. North Carolina Courage (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

June 26: Chicago Red Stars vs. Racing Louisville FC (2 p.m., Paramount+)

July 3:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Portland Thorns FC (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

July 9: Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m., Twitch)

July 25: Racing Louisville FC vs. Washington Spirit (3 p.m., Paramount+)

July 31: OL Reign vs. Racing Louisville FC (10 p.m., Twitch)

Aug. 8:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Kansas City (3 p.m., Paramount+)

Aug. 15: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC (5 p.m., Paramount+)

Aug. 18:  Racing Louisville FC vs. Chicago Red Stars (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Aug. 25: Kansas City vs. Racing Louisville FC (8 p.m., Paramount+)

Aug. 29: Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville FC (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Sept 4: Racing Louisville FC vs OL Reign (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Sept. 11: Orlando Pride vs. Racing Louisville FC (7 p.m., Paramount+)

Sept. 26: Racing Louisville FC vs. Houston Dash (3 p.m., Paramount+)

Oct. 1: Racing Louisville FC vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC (7:30 p.m., Twitch)

Oct. 6: North Carolina Courage vs. Racing Louisville FC (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Oct. 9: Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville FC (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Oct. 16: Racing Louisville FC vs. Orlando Pride (7:30 p.m., Paramount+)

Oct. 31: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville FC (2 p.m., CBSSN or Paramount+)