Racing Louisville fell 1-2 to the Houston Dash on Sunday night. This was the final Challenge Cup match for both teams who ended the tournament with six points apiece. Louisville ends in third place in the Central Division while Houston ends in fourth.
In a match where Racing rookies Jaelin Howell, Jordyn Bloomer, and Parker Goins all hit major professional milestones, the lingering memory will probably be the questionable calls that may have impacted the game’s outcome. Houston’s second goal came off a corner where keeper Bloomer was pushed backward and ultimately knocked over, but no foul was called. Later, Lauren Milliet was called off-sides after finding the back of the net. Replays brought this call into question almost immediately.
However, the fact of the matter is that the NWSL does not use VAR. There’s little Racing can do beyond moving on and looking ahead to the next game.
After the match, Coach Kim Björkegren was diplomatic. Although he admitted the foul against Bloomer would be called “nine out of 10 times”, he insisted: “There’s no reason to complain over referees. Sometimes their decision is in favor of you, sometimes not.”
Midfielder Lauren Milliet agreed and said, “I think it was definitely a difficult game, for sure. Some calls didn’t go our way, but that is the game.”
Ultimately, this was a Challenge Cup match that wouldn’t have impacted Racing much either way. Even though Houston tied them in points, their goal differential kept them from surpassing Racing in the standings. A win could have pushed Racing up into second place in their division over the Red Stars, but a chance to make it into the tournament playoffs was already out of reach.
Looking at the Challenge Cup holistically, Racing did an admirable job competing in their division. They lost to the Dash twice, but those were their only losses. They beat or tied both of the top two teams in the Central Division and were only shut out once. Overall, Racing…
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