What to Watch for as Racing Visits Defending Champion Orlando Pride
NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for as Racing Visits Defending Champion Orlando Pride

August 8, 2025 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


To put it like the great Willie Nelson, Racing Louisville FC is "on the road again." In contrast to Nelson, however, it's goin' to a place it has indeed been before - Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, where Racing will begin its longest road trip of the season against the reigning NWSL champion Orlando Pride at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Louisville, which has played four out of its last five league matches at Lynn Family Stadium, is set to embark on a gauntlet of a three-match away swing. All three of Racing's upcoming opponents are in the NWSL's current top four. Orlando is the first stop, followed by matchups with the Washington Spirit and San Diego Wave FC in consecutive weekends.

This all comes following an encounter with the league-leading Kansas City Current last weekend in the first match following the summer break. Racing, despite a strong opening half, suffered a 2-0 defeat to KC. Two second period goals from the Current separated the sides.

Head coach Bev Yanez, although disappointed with the outcome, reinforced her confidence in the team: "You always want points, but I think we can continue down the right path and we believe that we're continuing down the right path. That ultimately has to be the biggest takeaway."

The defeat didn't alter Louisville's position within the table. It remains above the playoff line in seventh position on 20 points ahead of the weekend, with just four points between it and a place in the top five. A win Saturday would give Racing seven wins on the season, drawing it even with its entire 2024 total.

Saturday will be the second time these sides will meet this season, with the first being just before the break on June 20. Louisville got the better of the Pride by a 2-0 score at Lynn Family Stadium in that meeting, one that saw the visitors held to its second-lowest xG total of the season: 0.9. Racing is 4-3-4 all-time against Orlando across all competitions, with its only wins coming at home.

The Seb Hines-led Pride (8-4-2, 26 points) opened before its home fans last Sunday in its return to league play. Orlando was pushed by now 14th-place Utah Royals FC, coming from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw. A 72-minute finish from Prisca Chilufya denied Utah its first road win of the campaign. The result kept the Pride in second place, tied on points with the Washington Spirit.

It was the third time Orlando dropped points at home in 2025, which already matches last season's total with six home games left. That said, the Pride's 13 points in home games are still third most in the NWSL.

Follow along...

The match will be broadcast live on ION. Viewers can search for their local channel number by typing their zip code here. ION is also available on numerous streaming platforms, including Tubi and YouTube TV. Fans can listen to the game on Talk Radio 1080 AM or online at talkradio1080.iheart.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...

Taylor-made reliability: In her first match since inking an extension through the 2028 season with Racing, Taylor Flint was, to nobody's surprise, a driving force centrally. Despite the defeat, the 26-year-old produced arguably one of her best statistical games of the season. Flint finished with a remarkable 17 duels won, seven clearances and 14 final third entries. Flint has now recorded at least 17 successful duels six times in her career - no other player in league history has more than five such games, per Opta. She also didn't lose a single aerial duel, going 8 for 8, in addition to registering a team-high eight recoveries.

Continental victor: The day after Louisville fell to Kansas City last week, Ary Borges helped her country claim a ninth Copa América Femenina crown. Borges and Brazil bested her Racing teammate Ángela Barón and Colombia in a dramatic match, which was decided via a penalty shootout following a 4-4 draw. It was the second time Borges was a part of a Copa América Femenina-winning squad. The 25-year-old also won it in 2022. Throughout the tournament, Borges earned three caps, including two starts, while Barón made one appearance as a substitute.

Supporters respond: For Racing's "Down the Stretch Night" last Friday, a season-high 8,113 fans packed inside Lynn Family Stadium, creating a positive atmosphere as the club heads into the final months of the season. Bev Yanez emphasized how important large crowds are after the KC defeat: "I think it brings a totally different vibe. The music feels louder, everything just feels a little bit bigger. We're really grateful for that support."

Road progress: Unlike last season, Louisville has been much better away from Lynn Family Stadium in 2025. It was a focus for the club heading into the season, after winning just one road game the previous year. So far this year, Racing has already won three road games - a single-season club record - all while scoring multiple goals in four straight away trips. Louisville ranks in the top five for road goals (11) despite playing the fewest away games in the NWSL to date (6). Three more away goals would establish a new club record for road finishes in a campaign.

Off the pace: Orlando opened the season on a tear up front, scoring 11 goals across its first four matches. Since, the club has cooled off a bit, logging 10 in its last 10 games. As a whole, the Pride's attack has taken a step back from where it was last year. The Florida outfit averages 1.5 goals per 90 minutes in 2025, which is down from the 1.9 it generated across its historic 2024 Shield-winning campaign.

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics



National Women's Soccer League Stories from August 8, 2025


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