What to Watch for as Racing Hits SoCal to Face San Diego Wave
NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for as Racing Hits SoCal to Face San Diego Wave

Published on August 23, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: Cody Cervenka/NWSL)

To wrap up this grueling road swing against some of the NWSL's best, Racing Louisville FC heads west for an 8 p.m. Sunday clash with the surging second-place San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium.

Sunday finally marks not only the end of Racing's season-long road journey, but also the final match of a six-game stretch against teams in the NWSL's current top four.

Louisville has endured some difficult results in the opening two legs of this road trip, watching six points slip away in consecutive weeks as the Orlando Pride and, most recently, the Washington Spirit scored late equalizers to force frustrating draws. Racing held a one-goal lead heading into second-half stoppage time on both occasions, only to see the hosts find a way to steal a point.

It was still, however, two valuable points gained against the teams that made up last season's NWSL Championship game. Louisville (6-6-4, 22 points) remains in seventh position and two points above Gotham FC, who hold the last available playoff place.

Racing is hoping San Diego - the concluding stop of this three-game road journey - can offer a better ending than the last two weeks before it returns home for a Friday meeting with the Houston Dash.

Bev Yanez's team will surely be motivated to achieve just that, given how the first meeting between the two went in April. The Wave, in fact, gave Louisville its worst result of the season to date on April 19 - a 4-1 defeat at Lynn Family Stadium. The loss marked just the third time ever that the club conceded four goals on home soil.

Beyond that immediate motivation, Racing will also be working against the history books, with the club's only win over San Diego coming in the first encounter in 2022 at Lynn Family Stadium. Louisville has a record of 1-3-3 against the Wave, with San Diego outscoring it 5-1 in the three matches played in California.

The Wave (8-3-5, 29 points) has undergone quite the turnaround from last season under the tutelage of its first-year head coach Jonas Eidevall. San Diego followed up its 2023 Shield-winning season with a 10th-place finish in 2024, but 2025 has been a complete shift. Currently unbeaten in five games, it sits second in the table after surpassing Orlando with a 2-1 win over California rival Bay FC last Saturday.

The resurgence can largely be attributed to the Wave's clinical attacking unit, which ranks second in goals scored at 28 - a number that far exceeds its 18.6 expected goals on the campaign. That difference of +9.4 goals above expected, according to FBref, leads the NWSL by a significant margin, emphasizing just how efficient San Diego really is up front.

Follow along...

The match will be streamed on the free NWSL+ app or via plus.nwslsoccer.com as well as Paramount+. Fans can also listen to the match on Sports Talk 790AM or 790louisville.com.

For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.

Story lines...

All class, and then some: Before a hostile crowd at Audi Field last week, midfielder Savannah DeMelo delivered an elite-level showing. DeMelo scored a go-ahead penalty in the 80th minute, marking it the third consecutive season in which she found the net versus Washington. It was her third goal of 2025 and her first since May 24 at Angel City FC. In addition to the finish, the California native led the team in chances created (3) and tackles won (4), earning a nomination for the league's Player of the Week.

Seamlessly adapting: With Lauren Milliet out due to injury, Janine Sonis has filled the need at the right back position. The Canadian has played 90 minutes in the role in each of the last three games, providing a positive impact on multiple fronts. Last week, Sonis recorded a season-high five interceptions, while compiling a club-high eight final third entries.

Tracking for another: Louisville captain Arin Wright could very well achieve a second career milestone in the same campaign. Wright, who already eclipsed 15,000 career regular-season minutes played in May, is only 10 appearances off the round 200 total - a number only seven players in NWSL history have reached. She'd need to play in each of Racing's remaining matches to get there in 2025.

Polar opposites: Sunday's game features the two sides on each end of the possession spectrum. San Diego, under the mindset of a former Arsenal manager, holds the NWSL's highest possession rate at 59.1%. Louisville, meanwhile, controls just 42% of possession per game - the lowest in the league, per FBref. This stark difference proves there's no single path to success, as both teams are in the top eight of the table.

The 12th player: For the second week running, Racing travels to a stadium that boasts one of the highest average attendances in the NWSL - Snapdragon Stadium. The club has had more than 12,000 fans show up for each of its last four home games, with its season average at just about 13,400 across eight matches.

French press-ence: San Diego's roster features many top talents, but one thing that really stands out is how crucial its French assets have been to the club's success in 2025. Three of the club's four French players - Kenza Dali, Perle Morroni and Delphine Cascarino - have combined for an impressive 18 goals plus assists. That number is led by Cascarino, who has three goals and five assists in her first full NWSL season since joining from OL Lyonnes last July. The trio is also among the Wave's top five players in minutes played this season.

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
Racing Louisville FC reacts after a goal
(Cody Cervenka/NWSL)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 23, 2025


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