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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for When Racing Hosts Portland (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Lynn Family Stadium)

September 1, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC forward Uchenna Kanu
Racing Louisville FC forward Uchenna Kanu
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: David Mucker)

Racing Louisville returns home to Lynn Family Stadium to take on the league-leading Portland Thorns at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in another crucial fixture for its ongoing push toward a club-first NWSL playoff spot.

The match will be streamed on Paramount+.

Racing (4-4-9, 21 points) moved within three points of the playoff line with a 0-0 draw at NJ/NY Gotham on Sunday, a gritty defensive effort highlighted by goalkeeper Katie Lund's five saves to secure her sixth clean sheet. The result nudged Louisville's unbeaten stretch in regular season matches to four.

The NWSL playoff picture is as crowded as ever - only 12 points separate first-place Portland and 12th-place Chicago, which is just seven points out of sixth. That means this weekend's matches have serious marker-setting potential. OL Reign, on 24 points and in sixth place, hosts seventh-place Orlando on Sunday, while Angel City (tied on points with Racing) plays at Kansas City (two points behind Racing) on Friday night.

Louisville has been particularly tough to beat at Lynn Family Stadium, where coach Kim Björkegren's squad is 3-1-4 this season, including three shutouts. Portland is one of four NWSL teams Racing has yet to defeat at home. The Louisvillians will try to do so without standout midfielder Savannah DeMelo, who is suspended because of yellow card accumulation.

Every match is a rematch at this stage of the NWSL season, and Saturday is no different. The reigning champion Thorns (8-4-5, 29 points) topped Racing, 2-0, at Providence Park in Portland four months ago. They may be without the league's top goal scorer, Sophia Smith, who left last weekend's 1-1 draw at Washington with an apparent knee injury.

Portland reclaimed first place two weeks ago with a 2-1 over North Carolina in a pairing of the top two teams in the league. The Thorns have been atop the table the most among NWSL teams this season after winning the NWSL championship last fall.

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.

Story lines...

Home field advantage: The Louisvillians love playing in front of the Lynn Family Stadium crowd, posting a record of 6-1-4 at home across all competitions in 2023. That lone loss came more than three months ago, with Racing undefeated (4-0-2) at home since falling 2-1 to North Carolina on May 27. The home side has an eye for goals at home, too, scoring in every home match so far this year with only one exception - a 0-0 draw with San Diego - and scoring at least twice in eight home fixtures.

Lund just keeps rolling: Starting goalkeeper Katie Lund continues to shine since donning the No. 1 shirt at the start of last season. This year, Lund leads all NWSL goalkeepers in saves (67) while ranking second in save percentage (82.1), following a 2022 season in which she set the league's single-season record for saves with 112. Louisville's stout defense has already equaled last year's mark of six clean sheets with five regular season matches to play. Racing is tied for third in the league in goals allowed in home matches.

Holloway helps: Speaking of defense, Rebecca Holloway's eight appearances this season at both left and center back have been productive in the clearances category. The 28-year-old Northern Ireland international ranks second in the NWSL in clearances per 90 minutes, averaging 5.9. She only trails Washington's Tara McKeown, who averages six.

Shot stoppers: Continuing her run of top form, center back Abby Erceg continues to rank among the league's best in blocked shots per 90 minutes having deflected an average of 1.5 per 90 this season. Her teammate, Julia Lester, is just ahead of her. The 25-year-old Lester averages 1.6 blocked shots per 90 minutes.

Global Racing: 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 and South African forward Thembi Kgatlana nudged Racing to six continents.

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC forward Uchenna Kanu
Racing Louisville FC forward Uchenna Kanu
(David Mucker)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from September 1, 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.

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