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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

Season Preview: Get to Know Racing

March 13, 2022 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC training camp huddle
Racing Louisville FC training camp huddle
(Racing Louisville FC)

A mix of fresh and familiar faces gives Racing Louisville FC reason to aim higher during its second campaign in 2022. There's a new head coach in Kim Björkegren plus signings Jaelin Howell and Jess McDonald joining the likes of Gemma Bonner, Emily Fox, Cece Kizer and Nadia Nadim. It adds up to a promising core toward a goal of competing for a spot in the NWSL playoffs.

Here's a primer running down what to know ahead of Racing's Challenge Cup opener set for 7:30 p.m. Friday against KC Current at Lynn Family Stadium.

Season structure

Competition begins with the Challenge Cup tournament, a preseason event that will consist of all NWSL teams playing six group stage fixtures. Games lead up to semifinals on May 4 and a cup final on May 7.

The NWSL regular season - with a schedule to be announced soon - kicks off later in the spring. The league's 12 teams will play each other once home and away with a goal toward a schedule that significantly limits the number of games that occur during international windows, ensuring the NWSL's most accomplished players are able to compete for club and country with relatively few conflicts.

All told, each team will play at least 28 NWSL matches - 14 home and 14 away - across the Challenge Cup and regular season.

Postseason format

The top-six regular season finishers will advance to the NWSL playoffs, which start in October. No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive byes to the semifinals ahead of the NWSL Championship the weekend of Oct. 28-30.

Launched last season, Racing finished ninth of 10 on the table but recovered from losing positions to earn a result in its final three games. In all, the club's 22 points were most yet by an NWSL expansion side, and the club will be looking to compete for a playoff spot this go around.

Story lines to know

Björkegren takes the helm: A Sweden native, Björkegren arrived to Louisville after leading Cyprus' first division champion Apollon Ladies to an unbeaten season and the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying stages. Over the 2017-2018 season, Björkegren's Linkopings FC won the top-tier Swedish league title and reached the UEFA WCL quarterfinals the following spring. He also coached a year in China, where his team reached the semifinals of two cup competitions.

New additions add squad depth: Racing's acquisition of the 2019 World Cup winner McDonald was one of the league's biggest moves of the offseason, with the club adding the NWSL's all-time leader in assists who is also fourth all-time in goals. A day after a sequence of trades brought McDonald into the fold, Racing then picked up the two-time NCAA player of the year and national champion Howell from the college draft. A midfielder out of Florida State, Howell is becoming a regular on the U.S. national team, too.

Youth movement: Fox, the top pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, posted a breakout rookie season and returns in 2022 having established a regular role on the U.S. national team. Kizer, 24, is also back after a breakthrough campaign in which she scored her first five NWSL goals. The team's top scorer last season, 21-year-old Ebony Salmon, should be a key part of the attack. Combined with a trio of college draft picks added, the average age of Racing's rostered players is 24.9 years.

Pieces to the puzzle: Björkegren wants his team to play fluid, attacking soccer built on possession and pace. The squad lined up in a four-back system through most of the preseason including defender Addisyn Merrick, who missed most of 2021 due to injury. Howell's addition to the midfield will shift Freja Olofsson from the No. 6 to a more natural No. 8, while McDonald's consistency up top will keep Kizer at her preferred role on the wing. Katie Lund looks like the heir apparent in goal after winning the job late last season but continues to be pushed by draft pick Jordyn Bloomer.

Key additions

Howell and McDonald arrive in Louisville with serious pedigree and name recognition. But Racing also critically boosted its depth in a few areas on the pitch. Savannah DeMelo, the fourth pick in the college draft, gives Racing a central midfielder who can fill a number of roles. Up front, the reigning Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year Kirsten Davis joins the club a year after she was selected in the 2021 college draft with the expectation she'll challenge for serious playing time. Former University of Michigan star Hillary Beall also adds depth at goalkeeper.

Racing has multiple international roster spots empty. Given Björkegren's European connections, the club figures to continue adding to its roster through the Challenge Cup.

Transaction Tracker

In anticipation of Friday's opener, here's everything you need to know about the club's offseason business.

Dec. 8 initial roster moves: options, releases

Exiting its inaugural season, Racing announced it had picked up contract options for midfielders Lauren Milliet, Freja Olofsson and Taylor Otto along with forward Savannah McCaskill. Not retained for 2022 were goalkeepers Michelle Betos and Shelby Money; defenders Brooke Hendrix and Sinclaire Miramontez; as well as forwards Jorian Baucom, Vanessa Kara and Katie McClure.

Dec. 16 expansion draft: Kaleigh Riehl (defender, to San Diego Wave FC)

One of the league's new clubs selected defender Kaleigh Riehl with the ninth and final pick the 2022 NWSL Expansion Draft. Riehl appeared in 21 of the club's 24 games during its inaugural season, ranking sixth on the team in minutes at 1,684. Racing had previously traded to secure immunity from the NWSL's other expansion club, Angel City FC.

Dec. 17 pre-draft trades: Julia Ashley (defender, Houston Dash) and Savannah McCaskill (forward, to Angel City FC) out; playing rights to Jess McDonald (forward, North Carolina Courage) in

The day before the 2022 NWSL Draft, Racing acquired McDonald from the North Carolina Courage on the heels of an earlier deal sending forward Savannah McCaskill to Angel City FC. In exchange, the Los Angeles-based expansion club moved the No. 6 overall pick to Louisville, which in turn traded it to the Courage for McDonald. Racing also received $25,000 in allocation money from Angel City.

Dec. 18 college draft: playing rights to Jaelin Howell, Savannah DeMelo, Charmé Morgan, Jordyn Bloomer, Jenna Menta and Sydney Cummings

Racing Louisville FC acquired six players in the 2022 NWSL Draft, starting off with a blockbuster selection at No. 2 overall in Howell, who already had to her name multiple national titles at Florida State and calls up to the U.S. Women's National Team.

Dec. 29 signing: Kirsten Davis (forward, Texas Tech)

Davis, whose playing rights were acquired through the 2021 NWSL Draft, returned to college for a final season having heard her name called 13th overall. She will join Racing after a Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year campaign in which she registered 14 goals and 6 assists in 19 appearances.

Jan. 5 signings: Katie Lund, Addisyn Merrick, Erin Simon

The goalkeeper Lund agreed to a two-year contract after winning the starting job toward the end of the 2021 season. She tallied 11 saves as Racing went 1-0-2 over its final three games - and that's not to mention the legendary penalty kick performance she put on to help Racing win The Women's Cup over Bayern. Merrick and Simon both agreed to one-year deals with an option for 2023. Merrick is coming off an ankle injury, while Simon made 21 appearances last season.

Jan. 11 trade out: Yuki Nagasato (forward, to Chicago Red Stars)

Nagasato - a 34-year-old Japanese international who won a World Cup with her home nation in 2011 - also numbered a pair of assists and found the back of the net for a late go-ahead goal in The Women's Cup final against FC Bayern Munich. This move sent the recently engaged forward back to Chicago, and in exchange Racing received the Red Stars' natural third-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft along with an international roster slot for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Jan. 20 signing: Jaelin Howell (midfielder, Florida State University)

Howell, who made 90 career Florida State appearances, scored 14 goals and tallied just as many assists there, with her honors including back-to-back ACC Midfielder of the Year awards from 2020-2021. Howell finished her collegiate career by becoming only the sixth women's player to win the Hermann Trophy in consecutive years. Along the way, Howell gained international attention, too. The youth national team staple has four times been capped by the USWNT.

Jan. 28 signing: Jess McDonald (forward, North Carolina Courage)

McDonald will officially join Racing after six seasons with the NC Courage organization, which she helped to a trio of league shields from 2017-2019 and NWSL Championship victories in 2016, 2018 and 2019. She ranks first all-time in regular season NWSL assists (27) and fourth in goals (51). Racing marks her seventh club across the league, while her resume also boasts international experience, including a spot on the U.S. Women's National Team's 2019 World Cup-winning squad.

Feb. 4 signing: Savannah DeMelo (midfielder, University of Southern California)

DeMelo, selected fourth overall in the draft, inked a two-year deal. During a collegiate career interrupted by an Achilles injury, she still managed 75 appearances and helped USC to postseason appearances each year she was on the pitch (2017-2018, 2020-2021). Along the way DeMelo four times received All-Pac-12 honors and was recognized in 2018 as an All-American.

Feb. 8 signing: Jordyn Bloomer (goalkeeper, University of Wisconsin)

The second player at her position selected in December's draft, Bloomer was a two-time Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Year at the University of Wisconsin. There, she registered a 0.65 goals-against average 0.823 save percentage. As a junior, she received her first Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year nod in addition to First Team All-American honors, posting a 0.53 goals-against average and 0.850 save percentage.

Feb. 9 announcement: Cheyna Matthews

The forward and her husband, Jordan, revealed that they are expecting their third child. As a result, Matthews was moved off Racing's active roster for the 2022 season but remains under contract. The Jamaica international - coined the team's "Super Mom" when she played in the 2019 World Cup months after delivering her first child - factored for both club and country in 2021 when coming back from the birth of her second son.

Feb. 10 signing Hillary Beall (goalkeeper, University of Michigan)

Beall, who attended Racing's pre-2022 NWSL Draft goalkeeper camp back in December, was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team last fall while captaining the University of Michigan, which went 17-4-3 on the season. The Laguna Beach, Calif., native also boasts extensive U.S. youth national team experience, featuring in competitions from the U-17 to U-20 levels.

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Racing Louisville FC training camp huddle
Racing Louisville FC training camp huddle
   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 13, 2022


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