NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Racing's Retooled Roster Gets First Test vs. KC Current

March 17, 2022 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC in training
Racing Louisville FC in training
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: Connor Cunningham)

For the first time in nearly five months, Racing Louisville FC has a game to play, and this year will kick off much like the club's inaugural season: in the NWSL Challenge Cup.

The club, which finished 2021 by accumulating 22 points - the record for an NWSL expansion side - will look to continue building starting with Friday's 7:30 p.m. opener against the KC Current at Lynn Family Stadium.

Racing returns 13 players from a season ago, but that also means seeing nearly half its roster turn over in recent months. Among those back are 2021 points leaders Ebony Salmon and Cece Kizer; emerging U.S. Women's National Team star Emily Fox; top defender Gemma Bonner; and the new Dr. Nadia Nadim, who continues to rehab from a knee injury.

Newcomers include World Cup winner Jess McDonald, acquired via an offseason trade, and the two-time MAC Hermann trophy winner Jaelin Howell drafted No. 2 overall out of reigning Division I national champion Florida State. There's also a new head coach in charge, with Kim Björkegren bringing experience of European titles and games in the UEFA Women's Champions League to the sideline.

Racing will play the first of its group state Challenge Cup games against a club with a similar arc. The KC Current were also an expansion club in 2021, albeit a relocated side rather than a start from scratch. But the Current have in the last year rolled out a flashy brand and teal colors; acquired some top international talents such as Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams; plus announced plans to build a stadium and training ground much like those found in Louisville.

Friday's game is the first of six Racing will play in the Challenge Cup ahead of the 22-game regular season that opens April 30. This marks the first meeting in this competition with the Current, who they see in a return game on April 2. The two sides will coincidentally end their respective regular-season campaigns against one another in an Oct. 1 season finale back at Lynn Family Stadium.

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.

- Visit our Match Center for everything you should know before you go to Lynn Family Stadium.

- Can't make it? The game will stream live on Paramount+. Injury report

- Nadia Nadim (out, right leg)

Story lines

Tournament format: NWSL have been divided into three Challenge Cup groups based on geographic location. Racing landed in the Central along with the KC Current, Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash. Louisville will play each team in its group once home and away. The winner of each group, along with the top second-place finisher, will advance to the Challenge Cup semifinal round on May 4 ahead of the May 7 final.

Schedule is set: On Wednesday, the NWSL released its 2022 regular-season schedule. Starting April 30, Racing and the league's other 11 teams are set to compete in a single table, 22-match campaign including 11 games apiece home and away. The top six move on to the playoffs with the NWSL Championship to be played the weekend of Oct. 28-30

Kim takes the helm: Racing introduced Kim Björkegren as its head coach in December. Having started his career at home in Sweden, Björkegren has found success at each of his stops, most recently in Cyprus where he led Apollon Ladies to an undefeated season. Björkegren arrived in Louisville in January but was in communication with team staff throughout the offseason roster building process.

The Captains Group: Only one player can actually wear the armband, of course, and which one does on Friday remains to be seen. But ahead of the Challenge Cup opener, Björkegren announced a unique concept behind on-field leadership with a Captains Group consisting of defenders Gemma Bonner and Emily Fox along with forwards Jess McDonald and Nadia Nadim.

Rounding out the roster: Racing reached the NWSL's 22-player minimum this week with a trio of new signings. Forward Sh'Nia Gordon left Russian club CSKA Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, while forward Parker Goins and midfielder Taylor Malham agreed to contracts out of successful preseason trials.

GK union: Racing boasts the youngest goalkeeping core in the NWSL with Katie Lund, along with rookies Jordyn Bloomer and Hillary Beall, all 25 or younger. Lund, who took over the starting job to conclude 2021, finished the season with a 1-1-2 record and made a historic debut, helping Racing raise its first trophy in The Women's Cup after a contentious penalty shootout.

Red, White and Fox: Defender Emily Fox has propelled herself into the United States Women's National Team picture over the past few months. The defender has been called into every camp since October 2021 and has started the past six games for the Stars & Stripes. Fox was named the USWNT's Player of the Match following her performance against Australia back on Nov. 30.

An encore season: Forward Cece Kizer, who scored Racing's first-ever goal in last year's Challenge Cup, also made it her first professional goal. Kizer went on to net 5 more goals to go with 2 assists during a breakout regular season. Kizer finished the year scoring in back-to-back games.

Nadim's road back: After joining Racing last summer, forward Nadia Nadim tallied 3 goals and an assist in eight appearances before going on the Season-Ending Injury List with a knee injury. She continues to rehab that and achieve off the field, finishing medical school during the offseason. Nadim plans to become a surgeon when her playing days end.

Super Mom: Earlier this year, forward Cheyna Matthews shifted off Racing's active roster with the announcement that she and her husband Jordan are expecting their third child this summer. Matthews has already twice come back following pregnancies, suiting up for Jamaica in the 2019 World Cup before contributing a goal to Racing's 2021 season months separated from a birth.

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC in training
Racing Louisville FC in training
(Connor Cunningham)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 17, 2022


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