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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for When Racing Hosts Orlando (7:30 p.m. Friday)

October 5, 2023 - 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: Jordan Prather/NWSL)

Racing Louisville returns home to Lynn Family Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday to take on Orlando Pride in its final regular season home match of 2023.

The match will be streamed on Paramount+.

It's a crucial matchup with significant playoff implications for both teams, with Racing (5-6-9, 24 points) and Orlando (9-10-1, 28 points) on the outside looking in on the playoff picture.

In 10th place, Louisville sits four points out of sixth, the last playoff spot, currently occupied by OL Reign. Orlando is even on points with OL Reign but trailing in goal differential.

A win Friday keeps Racing's name in the playoff conversation heading into the final matchday of the year on Oct. 15, when Louisville plays at San Diego. A draw or loss would eliminate Racing, while Orlando will remain alive regardless of the result.

OL Reign and fifth-place Washington (29 points) also play each other Friday night, kicking off an hour after the match in Louisville. Meanwhile eighth-place Houston (26 points) and ninth-place Angel City (25 points) play Sunday evening in what is shaping up to be an entertaining and potentially decisive weekend in the NWSL postseason race.

The lavender and mint are hoping to rebound from a physical 1-0 loss at Chicago this past Saturday that featured a pair of controversial video assistant referee (VAR) decisions. Kayla Fischer and Elli Pikkujämsä both hit the crossbar from distance, and Uchenna Kanu and Thembi Kgatlana both narrowly missed chances at equalizers late in the second half.

Orlando comes to Louisville after a 1-0 win at Angel City on Monday in Los Angeles fueled by Adriana's game-winning goal in the 22nd minute. The Pride has won back-to-back games, also topping fourth-place North Carolina two weeks ago.

The teams have been evenly matched in the series since Racing entered the NWSL in 2021, with each notching two wins while playing to three draws. Orlando won the last meeting, with Messiah Bright scoring the game-winner in Florida on May 6.

Follow along ...

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

The game will be streamed live on Paramount+, and international viewers may watch for free on NWSLSoccer.com.

Storylines ...

Vote for Jae! Racing captain Jaelin Howell is up for the Nationwide Community Impact Award, representing Racing in the NWSL's annual community service project competition. Howell and Racing partnered with Down Syndrome of Louisville to host the first-ever Racing BFF Dance and Rock Your Socks clinic, two events hosted by Howell and attended by members of the DSL and Racing communities. Howell, 23, paired with DSL long before Racing picked her as its representative in the competition, which gifts winners with significant grant money. You can vote Jaelin at www.NWSLsoccer.com/FanVote.

Carson charges forward: Left back Carson Pickett has long been one of the league's most dangerous two-way defenders, and this season is no different. The 30-year-old Pickett ranks in the top five in the NWSL in passes into the final third (fourth) and passes into the penalty area (fourth) and second in progressive passes and crosses.

DeMelo vs. Orlando: Star midfielder Savannah DeMelo scored in both meetings between Orlando and Louisville in the 2022 season. Her 50th-minute goal in the 2-0 win over Orlando on Sept. 16, 2022, provided insurance in one of Louisville three wins out of four to end the season. She also scored in the 51st minute in the 2-2 draw against Orlando at the Daytona International Speedway in July 2022. The 25-year-old didn't play in the May 6 match because of a one-match suspension after receiving a red card against OL Reign on April 29.

In search of goals: Racing is hoping to snap its longest goal drought of the season, entering Friday's match on a 332-minute stretch without scoring. Kirsten Davis scored the last goal, a 28th-minute strike at OL Reign that vaulted Racing into the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup final. The drought has been particularly frustrating because Racing has pelted its last two opponents with 39 shots, including Kayla Fischer and Elli Pikkujämsä rattling the crossbar at Chicago.

Thembi Time: South Africa star Thembi Kgatlana has been everywhere this season since returning from a torn Achilles, averaging 4.4 shots per 90 minutes, a figure that ranks third in the NWSL. She has two goals in 12 appearances, including the match-clinching goal against NJ/NY Gotham on June 18.

Global Racing: Racing Louisville is the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continents on its roster, and four different confederations were represented by goal involvements in the Sept. 2 regular-season win over first-place Portland. The signings of Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu and South Africa's Thembi Kgatlana as well as Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges pushed Racing's roster from four continents on the roster to six this past offseason.

Check out the Racing Louisville FC Statistics




Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
Racing Louisville FC celebrates a goal
(Jordan Prather/NWSL)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from October 5, 2023


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