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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Preview: What to Watch for with Racing at Washington Spirit

June 16, 2022 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: USA Today Sports Images)

Racing Louisville FC travels to the nation's capital this weekend to take on the reigning NWSL champion Washington Spirit at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Segra Field.

Racing (2-4-2, eight points) comes off a tough defeat to Angel City FC, dropping a 3-2 decision via a stoppage-time penalty despite a strong performance. On a three-game losing streak, Louisville hopes to bounce back against a Washington squad it has not faced yet this season.

Washington is winless in its previous eight matches, including a 3-2 loss last weekend to the North Carolina Courage. After the Spirit's strong start to the campaign, including a trip to the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup final, match congestion and injuries have played a role in Washington's recent stumbles.

The Spirit have gotten the better of Racing in their brief series history, beating Louisville in three of four meetings across all competitions in 2021. Racing's sole win against the Spirit, which also happened to be the club's first-ever victory, came on May 21, 2021.

Friday's match marks the final game before Racing and most teams around the NWSL will lose key players to the UEFA European Women's Football Championship in England; the CONCACAF W Championship in Mexico; the Africa Women Cup of Nations; and several other international competitions and exhibitions.

Washington is home to seven players who will join the U.S. Women's National Team for the upcoming CONCACAF W Championship, including goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury; defenders Kelley O'Hara and Emily Sonnett; midfielders Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan; and forwards Ashley Hatch and Trinity Rodman.

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.

- The game will broadcast live on Paramount+ in the United States and on Twitch internationally.

Player availability report

None

Story lines...

Call ups: Following Friday's match against the Spirit, a club-record eight players will join their respective national teams, representing five countries. They will compete in the CONCACAF W Championship and UEFA Women's European Championship in addition to various friendlies. The list includes defenders Emily Fox (USA), Rebecca Holloway (Northern Ireland) and Satara Murray (Jamaica); midfielders Alex Chidiac (Australia), Savannah DeMelo (USA U-23s), Jaelin Howell (USA) and Freja Olofsson (Sweden U-23s); and forward Nadia Nadim (Denmark).

The doctor delivers: In her second appearance of the year since returning from a severe knee injury that kept her out for nine months, Nadim scored her first goal of the season on Saturday, converting an equalizing penalty kick in the 65th minute. The Danish international scored three goals in eight appearances for Racing before tearing her ACL last September. Nadim is now 10 for 11 on penalties in the NWSL, and she scored the 11th on a rebound.

Bonner back heels: Center back Gemma Bonner scored her first NWSL regular-season goal on Saturday when she backheel-volleyed in a set-piece cross from midfielder Savannah DeMelo. Bonner has started all 12 games she appeared in, playing the full 90 minutes in each, and typically wears the captain's armband for Racing.

DeMelo's new role: DeMelo stepped into the central attacking midfield role against Angel City, a spot previously filled by Cece Kizer, who was recently traded to the KC Current. The 24-year-old DeMelo tallied an assist in the 29th minute and drew Racing's penalty in the 65th minute. While she played the more advanced role at USC, DeMelo has spent most of her rookie season playing either as a defensive midfielder or a winger. The Bellflower, California, native was recently named to the NWSL team of the month for May and finished second in voting for NWSL rookie of the month.

Lund faces former club: Starting goalkeeper Katie Lund is expected to see time against the Spirit for the first time since Racing selected her in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. The 25-year-old Texan spent one season in Washington, where she did not make an appearance. Last year, Lund was an unused sub in all four matches against her former club and won Racing's starting job between the posts toward the end of the season.

The reigning champs: The Spirit won the 2021 NWSL Championship on Racing's home field at Lynn Family Stadium last November, defeating the Chicago Red Stars, 2-1, in extra time. Led by 2021 NWSL Rookie of the Year Trinity Rodman, Washington finished the year on a nine-match unbeaten run.

Transactions aplenty: This will mark Racing's first game without defender Erin Simon, who was waived Monday to pursue playing opportunities elsewhere. That move came on the heels of the KC Current trade, which in addition to Kizer dealt defender Addisyn Merrick; both players are Kansas City-area natives. Most recently, Racing on Thursday announced a trade sending forward Tobin Heath's NWSL playing rights to OL Reign. Over the past two weeks, the club has picked up $200,000 in allocation money, multiple draft picks and an international roster slot to use moving forward.

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
(USA Today Sports Images)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from June 16, 2022


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