What to Watch for as Racing Hosts First-Place Kansas City in Prime Time Showdown
NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for as Racing Hosts First-Place Kansas City in Prime Time Showdown

July 31, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: NWSL)

Friday nights were made for spectacles like this one.

Coming off a record-breaking first half of the season, Racing Louisville FC resumes NWSL competition in style, welcoming the league-leading Kansas City Current to Lynn Family Stadium for an 8 p.m. showdown Friday.

It's set to be an eventual night in Butchertown, with the two clubs competing in front of a national Prime Video audience. Not only does Friday mark Racing's second half opener, but it's also the last home game before its season long three-game road trip, beginning in Orlando next week.

While Racing has been away from NWSL action for more than a month, it's had quite a productive hiatus.

Just last week, Louisville captured The Women's Cup crown for a second time, as goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer led the NWSL side past Brazilian outfit Palmeiras in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation.

Prior to stepping away from league play in June, Louisville bested the defending champion Orlando Pride on home soil in impressive fashion - Racing's fifth win from seven games since the start of May. It positions the club in the table's seventh spot - a playoff place - on 20 points. The point total set a new club record through the opening 13 matches of the season.

Similarly to Racing, Kansas City also acquired some silverware this month. The Current won the inaugural Teal Rising Cup - a four-team knockout-style tournament played at CPKC Stadium - with a 2-1 victory over Brazil's Corinthians SC on July 15.

Heading into the summer break, Vlatko Andonovski's team was riding high on a six game winning streak, outscoring opponents 15-5. Two of those five goals conceded came against Louisville on June 14 - a 4-2 win for the Current - with Racing being the only team since April to score multiple goals on the KC defense.

While its improved defense has been key to the Current's eight-point lead atop the table, the attack is once again the league's best. KC has scored 29 times in 13 games - four more than any other club - which equates to 2.15 goals per 90 minutes. If it continues at this pace, the 2025 Current will become the fourth team since 2020 with an average goals per game total north of two.

The matchup is "Down the Stretch Night" at Lynn Family Stadium, a nod to both Louisville's horse racing ties and its current push for the postseason. The club is expecting the largest crowd of the season.

For tickets and further information on what is slated to be a promotion packed matchday, featuring fireworks, Racing player autographs and more, visit RacingLouFC.com/stretch.

Follow along...

The match will be streamed on Prime Video, which is available online at amazon.com/primevideo or via the app on multiple platforms, including Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV. 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...

Pen to paper: Amid the month-plus without NWSL games, Louisville completed an important piece of business. Top midfield talent Taylor Flint, who is in the midst of a career campaign, inked a new multi-year deal with Racing, keeping her at the club through the 2028 season. Flint, a 26-year-old with USWNT experience, has been a force in the middle of the park since joining via trade from San Diego Wave FC in 2024. So far this year, Flint has already matched her season high in goals scored (3) while leading the NWSL in interceptions (41) and aerial duels (80).

Access denied: Although Jordyn Bloomer only made her first NWSL start for Racing in May, she has become a key factor in the team's recent successes. The heroics of the 27-year-old goalkeeper across both matches of The Women's Cup highlight her impact. Bloomer delivered between the sticks in two penalty shootouts, making a combined three saves, including two in The Women's Cup final to seal Louisville's second-ever trophy lift. The standout play in Brazil came as no surprise given what she has been doing in the league. Through seven starts since the beginning of May, the former Wisconsin Badger has registered 33 saves and a save percentage of 78.6% - the third best in the NWSL among shot stoppers with at least 600 minutes.

Court(ney) is now in session: Having dished out two assists and played in all but four minutes throughout June, defender Courtney Petersen earned a place on the NWSL's June Best XI. The former first round selection out of Virginia has been a consistent presence in Racing's backline during her first full campaign in lavender. Those two assists are her most in a season since 2022. Like Flint, Petersen secured her position in Kentucky for years ahead by signing a contract through the 2027 season - an announcement made in early July.

Raining goals: Louisville has posed quite the attacking threat in its last five matches, scoring 10 goals - tied for the second most in the league. Emma Sears and Taylor Flint have combined for four of those 10 finishes. The club is also currently on a run of four consecutive games scoring multiple goals, something the club has never achieved before. This stretch has earned Racing a goals per 90 minutes total of 1.46, a number higher than any of its previous single season averages.

Slim margins: Kansas City and Louisville have met 14 times across all competitions, with very little separating the two historically. Racing owns the edge on all-time record with six wins, but the Current aren't far behind with five. Importantly, KC has taken the last two victories, including one already this year, back in June. The difference in the goals scored department in these matches is a mere one goal, with Louisville ahead 21-20.

Depth for days: One of, if not the most impressive, aspect of the Current's forward threat is not just how clinical the group is, but also the variety at which the production is coming from. KC has five different players with three or more goals - the most in the NWSL. Three of those individuals rank in the league's top ten in goals: Temwa Chaŵinga, Debinha and Bia Zaneratto. If you're counting goal involvements, there are seven Current players with three or more on the season, including four forwards with at least six.

About Racing Louisville FC: A 2021 expansion addition to the National Women's Soccer League, Racing Louisville remains a young club in what's arguably the world's toughest women's soccer circuit. Racing both rosters and routinely faces up against national team talents as a result. The club calls home Lynn Family Stadium - opened in 2020 in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood - and operates daily out of the nearby Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, sharing the facility with the USL Championship side Louisville City FC.

Get the latest news on Racing Louisville FC at RacingLouFC.com and via the club's channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
(NWSL)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 31, 2025


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