RACING LOUISVILLE FC RETURNS TO THE USL W LEAGUE
Racing Louisville FC is returning to the USL W League — the nation’s premier pre-professional women’s soccer circuit — for the 2024 season kicking off in May.
In 2022, Racing became the first W League member to complete its developmental pyramid topped by a franchise from the NWSL, widely regarded as the world’s top pro women’s soccer league.
The W League has a goal to form the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field, enhancing the player pipeline between college and the pro ranks. It also strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity and career development.
Home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, 801 Edith Road. Select away games may be streamed live via ElevenSports.com.
Racing Louisville is operated by the same group, Soccer Holdings, LLC, as two-time USL Championship title winner Louisville City FC. The fast-growing organization hosts senior team games at 15,304 capacity Lynn Family Stadium and plans to play W League competitions at its nearby state-of-the-art practice facility.
Both Racing and LouCity formally launched their youth academies in the fall of 2020. Similar to the USL Academy League on the boys side, the W League rounds out the path to pro for the girls system, which begins for those as young as age 4, by providing an elite platform for prep-professional players to showcase themselves.
Racing Louisville FC appointed Bellarmine University assistant and former University of Louisville midfielder Callie McKinney as its W League team head coach.
McKinney will lead Racing’s W League squad through its second summer campaign in the USL’s pre-professional women’s soccer league.
“I am super pumped and grateful for the opportunity to be coaching young, passionate and competitive ladies for the Racing W League team this summer,” McKinney said. “This is a great time to continue development for these ladies and compete at a high level in a professional environment. We will be intentional about getting 1% better every time we step on the pitch in preparation for our league games while also preparing them to go back to their college teams ready to compete at their best for their upcoming seasons.”
A Tennessee native, McKinney is entering her fourth season at Bellarmine and third as a full-time assistant. She also works in the Racing Louisville Academy, coaching the U-16 squad.
“We are looking forward to building off a great inaugural season in the W league. The W League has proven to be a great platform for our academy players to test themselves against older competition. It also has enabled us to provide opportunities for top collegiate players from this area and around the country as well as a platform for our coaches to continue to grow in their own personal coaching development.”
Before joining Bellarmine’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2020, McKinney was a standout midfielder for the University of Louisville, helping the Cardinals reach the NCAA Tournament in her final two seasons.
Racing’s pre-professional squad, which is comprised mainly of college athletes and academy standouts, will begin its W League season in mid-May before wrapping up in June. This season, Louisville will compete in the Valley Division along with clubs from Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. Fans can see the full schedule by visiting RacingLouFC.com/WLeague.
Home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, located at 801 Edith Road in Louisville. Select away games may be streamed live via ElevenSports.com.
RACING LOUISVILLE FC’S 2024 W LEAGUE SCHEDULE
The USL W League on Thursday announced the 2024 schedule for Racing Louisville’s pre-professional team, with the Louisvillians once again playing 10 regular-season matches – five at home and five away – between mid-May and the end of June.
In 2022, Racing became the first W League member to complete its developmental pyramid starting from 3-year-olds to a team in the National Women’s Soccer League, widely regarded as the world’s top professional women’s soccer league.
The Racing Louisville Academy runs the W League squad, which will be coached by Callie McKinney for the second consecutive year. McKinney, an academy coach who is an assistant at Louisville’s Bellarmine University, led the team to an 8-1-1 record in 2023, missing the W League playoffs through a tiebreaker with Indy Eleven.
This year, Racing is again paired with four other teams in the W League Valley Division, competing against in-state foe Lexington SC as well as Indy Eleven, Cincinnati’s Kings Hammer and St. Charles (Mo.).
Louisville’s squad plays its home games at Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, located at 801 Edith Road. Home matches are free to attend and open to the public. Select road matches may be streamed on ElevenSports.com.
Racing opens with three straight home games, starting with the season kickoff at 6 p.m. on May 14 against Indy Eleven. Kings Hammer (May 22) and Lexington (May 29) come to Louisville next, with starts slated for 6 p.m.
Louisville plays two matches at Lexington this year at Georgetown (Ky.) College’s Toyota Stadium – first at 4 p.m. June 9 then at 7 p.m. June 21.
Fans can get the latest updates on Racing’s W League team by bookmarking RacingLouFC.com/WLeague.
2024 Racing Louisville FC USL W League schedule
(Home games listed in bold with all times Eastern)
May 14: Indy Eleven, 6 p.m.
May 22: Kings Hammer FC, 6 p.m.
May 29: Lexington SC, 6 p.m.
June 7: Indy Eleven, 7 p.m. (Grand Park Event Center)
June 9: Lexington SC, 4 p.m. (Georgetown College)
June 12: St. Charles FC, 4 p.m.
June 15: Kings Hammer FC, 7 p.m. (Thomas More University)
June 18: St. Charles FC, 5 p.m. (St. Peters-Lutheran HS)
June 21: Lexington SC, 7 p.m. (Georgetown College)
June 30: Indy Eleven, 4 p.m.
Racing Louisville FC will announce its 2024 USL W League roster closer to the start of the season in May.
Last year’s squad, which is run by the Racing Academy and will play on the nation’s premier pre-professional women’s soccer circuit, features 41 players from a variety backgrounds, from the Racing Academy to area colleges. The Racing W League team will be led by coach Callie McKinney, a Bellarmine University assistant and former University of Louisville midfielder who also coaches U-16s in the Racing Academy.
Home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, 801 Edith Road. Select away games will be streamed live via ElevenSports.com.
Racing in 2022 became the first W League member with a National Women’s Soccer League team at the top of its developmental pyramid.
Each team will play 10-12 matches against divisional opponents over the course of the regular season. Upon the start of the playoffs, conferences will be used to regionalize matchups with player welfare in mind. More information of the W League playoffs will be released later, and fans can get the latest updates by bookmarking RacingLouFC.com/WLeague.