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NWSL Racing Louisville FC

What to Watch for with Racing at Chicago Red Stars

April 29, 2022 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release


Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: USA Today Sports Images)

Racing Louisville FC begins its 2022 regular season on Saturday with a trip to the Windy City for a match against the Chicago Red Stars.

Louisville ended the NWSL Challenge Cup after losing 2-1 to the Houston Dash, running out its youngest lineup of the season. Despite the loss, Racing ended the Challenge Cup in third place in the Central group based on goal differential.

Throughout the tournament, Louisville relied heavily on a variety of players, starting 18 different players and debuting six. Seven players scored over six games.

As for Chicago, the Red Stars are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Central division-winning Kansas City Current. The Red Stars ended the tournament as the lowest-rated second-place team, eliminating them from the tournament.

Chicago relied on its star power on both sides of the ball throughout the Challenge Cup. Forward Mallory Pugh scored four of the team's eight goals and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made 17 saves in six matches.

Despite this being the start of the regular season, Racing and the Red Stars already met twice in the Challenge Cup. Both matches ended in a draw, with a 0-0 score at Chicago on March 30 and a 1-1 result in Louisville on April 16.

Saturday's match marks the start of the 2022 regular season. In this year's 22-game campaign, Racing will play every team twice, with one home and one away match. Following the regular-season finale on Oct. 1, the top six teams will advance into the playoffs.

Kickoff in Chicago is slated for 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on Paramount+.

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 be streamed live on Paramount+ in the United States and on Twitch internationally.

Player availability report

- Nadia Nadim (out, right leg)

Storylines..

Goal scorers galore: Through the six 2022 Challenge Cup games, Racing is already approaching its marks from all of last season. Seven different players found the back of the net - Cece Kizer, Kirsten Davis, Jess McDonald, Lauren Milliet, Gemma Bonner, Emina Ekic and Jaelin Howell. Through the entire 2021 Challenge Cup and regular season - a total of 28 matches - 10 different players made the scoresheet, with only three in the first six matches.

How(ell) about that goal: Midfielder Jaelin Howell opened her NWSL scoring account against the Houston Dash. She volleyed home a loose ball in the box following a free-kick by Savannah DeMelo in the 30th minute. This goal came only 15 days after Howell scored her first goal with the U.S. Women's National Team.

Youth movement: Sunday's starting lineup against the Dash marked the youngest lineup of the year. The average age was 23.8 years old. No other lineup during the Challenge Cup was older than 25.1 years old on average.

Rookies: Racing had six players (Howell, Davis, DeMelo, Malham, Bloomer and Goins) make their pro debuts during the Challenge Cup. Louisville, along with expansion club San Diego Wave FC, debuted the most rookies during the tournament. They played a combined 1,116 minutes in lavender, accounting for 19% of all minutes played.

Record vs. Chicago: Saturday marks the fifth meeting between Louisville and Chicago in all NWSL competitions since Racing's inception. Racing holds a 1-0-3 record against the Red Stars, with a win in Chicago last June. Chicago is one of two teams that Racing has not lost to, along with NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Parker's pro debut: Forward Parker Goins made her professional debut against the Dash when she subbed on in the 57th minute. The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native recorded one shot on goal and won 3 of 4 duels.

Bloomer debuts: Goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer made her professional debut on Sunday, starting and playing 90 minutes. The former Wisconsin Badgers star made three saves.

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Images from this story

Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
Racing Louisville FC defender Gemma Bonner
(USA Today Sports Images)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from April 29, 2022


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