What to Watch for with Racing at San Diego Wave FC

July 14, 2022 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Racing Louisville FC News Release

Racing Louisville FC midfielder Alex Chidiac (right) vs. San Diego Wave FC
(Racing Louisville FC, Credit: USA Today Sports Images)

It's the return game of Racing's 1-0 home win over San Diego back in May and the second of two meetings between the teams.

Racing (2-5-4, 10 points) sits 10th in the NWSL standings, five points off the final playoff spot. The club wants to snap six-match winless streak, coming off a 2-1 home loss to NJ/NY Gotham FC in which they outshot Gotham, 24-9.

Racing earned its first win of the regular season in the May meeting against San Diego, with Savannah DeMelo's 25-yard free kick serving as the game-winner.

The Wave (6-3-3, 21 points) remain in first place despite a 2-1 loss to Angel City FC this past weekend. Even after missing the past few games for her team while on international duty, San Diego's Alex Morgan leads the league with 11 goals.

Racing will be without five players, including star forward Nadia Nadim and fullback Emily Fox, with both currently on international duty with the Denmark and U.S. national teams, respectively. Defenders Rebecca Holloway (Northern Ireland) and Satara Murray (Jamaica), along with new signing Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa), who was injured in her last Africa Cup of Nations match, are also not available.

On Friday, the Wave will be without a number of their standout players because of international duty, too, including Morgan (USA) as well as goalkeeper Kaelin Sheridan (Canada), defender Naomi Girma (USA) and midfielders Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden) and Taylor Kornieck (USA).

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 and on Twitch internationally.

Player availability report

Emily Fox (out, international duty)

Rebecca Holloway (out, international duty)

Satara Murray (out, international duty)

Nadia Nadim (out, international duty)

Story lines...

DeMelo delivers: The rookie midfielder continued her excellent run of form by scoring in her second consecutive game against Gotham. The California native is now tied with the North Carolina Courage forward Diana Ordonez for the most goals scored by a rookie with three. DeMelo is putting together a strong rookie of the year campaign, leading the NWSL in fouls drawn (44) and chances created (25) while also being the only player to score from a direct free kick, which she has done twice.

Rookie reliance: The midfield partnership of DeMelo and Jaelin Howell has cemented itself as one of the best in the league among newcomers, leading NWSL rookies in starts (11) and minutes played (998 for DeMelo and 958 for Howell). Not far off from DeMelo, Howell also ranks in the top five in the NWSL in fouls drawn.

Wyne debuts: Defender Zaneta Wyne made her Racing and NWSL debut after she started and played 87 minutes against Gotham on Friday. The New Port Beach, California, native led the match in touches with 71. Wyne signed earlier this month as a National Team Replacement Player given Racing's needs along its back line.

Conceding multiple goals: Racing has struggled defending in recent matches, conceding two or more goals in each of the last five games. That stretch played a key role in the team's six-match winless streak. Racing had only conceded multiple goals twice in its first six matches, including shutouts against San Diego and Gotham in May.

NWSL after dark: With kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, Friday's match marks the first of three times this year that Racing will play the late game on the NWSL's docket. Last year, the club struggled on the west coast, losing at Portland Thorns FC and OL Reign in games that kicked off at 10 p.m. or later. Louisville will play its final two late kickoffs this season Sept. 21 (at Portland) and Sept. 25 (at Angel City).

Kgatlana injured: Racing's newest signing, South African forward Thembi Kgatlana, will have to wait to make her club debut. While competing at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations with the South Africa national team, the forward suffered an Achilles tendon injury that is expected to keep her out for an extended time.

On international duty: Racing will be without several key players for much of July. Forward Nadia Nadim (Denmark) and defender Rebecca Holloway (Northern Ireland) are in the midst of UEFA Women's European Championship group play, while defenders Emily Fox (USA) and Satara Murray (Jamaica) have advanced to the Concacaf W Championship knockout stage.

Racing Louisville FC midfielder Alex Chidiac (right) vs. San Diego Wave FC (USA Today Sports Images)

National Women's Soccer League Stories from July 14, 2022

• Thorns FC Sign Forward Michele Vasconcelos as a National Team Replacement Player - Portland Thorns FC
• What to Watch for with Racing at San Diego Wave FC - Racing Louisville FC
• Orlando City and Orlando Pride Announce Watch Party Presented by Heineken for Back-To-Back Fixtures on Sunday - Orlando Pride
• The Women's Cup Announces 2022 Kickoff Times - Racing Louisville FC
• CarMax Announced as Official Auto Retailer of the National Women's Soccer League - NWSL
• CarMax Announced as Official Auto Retailer of NJ/NY Gotham FC as Part of Multi-Year Partnership - NJ/NY Gotham FC

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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