Sports stats



NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for in Racing's Home Opener vs. Washington

March 31, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC is set to host its home opener for the 2023 campaign at 3 p.m. Saturday, taking on the Washington Spirit at Lynn Family Stadium.

Racing (0-0-1, 1 point) started the season on the road, battling to a 0-0 draw in an entertaining affair at Houston. Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund was the player of the match, making seven saves and recording her seventh career shutout. Seven players made their Racing debuts, including Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges and Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu, who both narrowly missed goals in their first appearance with Louisville.

Saturday's contest is the first of two meetings between Racing and the Spirit this season, with the return game in the nation's capital on the docket for June 3. Racing is 1-3-2 all-time against the Spirit, including two draws last season. Louisville's first NWSL regular-season win in franchise history came against Washington on May 21, 2021.

Washington won its season opener last weekend, topping OL Reign, 1-0, thanks to a goal from star forward Trinity Rodman. The win snapped the Spirit's three-game losing streak that ended last season. Built around Rodman and fellow U.S. Women's National Team players Ashley Hatch, Ashley Sanchez and Andi Sullivan, Washington is playing for a new coach in Mark Parsons, who previously coached the Portland Thorns to the 2017 NWSL title.

The matchup Saturday marks the third regular-season home opener at Lynn Family Stadium for Racing. The inaugural NWSL home opener in 2021 ended in a 0-0 draw with Kansas City, and Racing tied Houston, 1-1, in the regular-season home opener last year.

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.

- The game will stream live on Paramount+ in the United States (commentators: Maura Sheridan and Tony Meola) and for free on NWSLSoccer.com internationally.

Story lines...

The captain: Star midfielder Jaelin Howell was named the club captain, an illustration of the 23-year-old's influence in Racing's locker room as she starts her second year in Louisville. A two-time national player of year and two-time national champion as a collegiate standout at Florida State, Howell hit the ground running at Racing in her rookie year, starting every game in 2022 and finishing second in the league among first-year players in minutes played, trailing only teammate Savannah DeMelo. Howell, who has made five appearances for the U.S. Women's National Team, tallied two assists last season and rang up her first professional and international goals last spring, scoring for the U.S. at the SheBelieves Cup last February and Racing in the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup.

Lunderful: Racing goalkeeper Katie Lund picked up right where she left off last season, making seven saves in the season opener at Houston and posting her seventh career shutout. The Texas native was named the player of the match for her efforts, which included a spectacular double save in the second half on a point-blank diving header and the follow-up rebound while Lund was still on the ground.

Houston, we have debuts: A number of offseason additions made their first appearances for Racing in the season-opening 0-0 draw at Houston. Louisville introduced five new starters in the lineup: defenders Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett; midfielders Ary Borges and Elli Pikkujämsä; and forward Uchenna Kanu. Rookie Kayla Fischer and winger Paige Monaghan both made their Racing debuts off the bench, coming on as second-half substitutes. That leaves South African forward Thembi Kgatlana, who is rehabilitating a torn Achilles from last summer, as the last Racing player currently with the team to make her debut.

April international call-ups: Six Racing players were called up for their national teams, with Ary Borges (Brazil), Alex Chidiac (Australia), Rebecca Holloway (Northern Ireland), Uchenna Kanu (Nigeria), Elli Pikkujämsä (Finland) and Wang Shuang (China) set to represent their countries in international matches next week. Brazil will play England in the first-ever Women's Finalissima, the meeting of the South American and European champions at Wembley Stadium in London.

Racing goes global: Racing Louisville is the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continents on its roster. The Louisvillians already had an international flavor last year, with four continents represented. But the additions of Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges as well as Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu an South African forward Thembi Kgatlana nudged Racing to six continents. Abby Erceg, New Zealand's all-time caps leader, reinforced Australian midfielder Alex Chidiac as a second representative from Oceania.

World Cup year: This is a big year for women's soccer, with the 2023 FIFA World Cup set for Australia and New Zealand from July 20-August 20. Racing should be well-represented at the planet's biggest competition. There are nine current internationals on Racing's roster, and as many as seven of their countries have qualified for the World Cup. The NWSL will only play one regular-season game in the World Cup window, instead scheduling half of the NWSL UKG Challenge Cup matches for that period.

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics

• Discuss this story on the National Women's Soccer League message board...

National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 31, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Racing Louisville FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central