Match Details
Who: Orlando Pride (2-5-2) hosts Racing Louisville (2-4-3)
When: Sunday, July 3, at 8 PM ET
Where: Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL / Live on CBS Sports Network
Start Your Engines
Racing Louisville is set to take on the Orlando Pride this Sunday in Florida. Instead of playing in the Pride at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, however, both teams will be heading to the Daytona International Speedway for Daytona Soccer Fest. This match will count as a regular-season NWSL match despite the fact it’s being played in about as novel a location as can be.
Many tonnes of sand have been dumped on top of the race track’s pit row to convert it into a temporary pitch. All this was done to the tune of more than a million dollars just for this tw0-day soccer and music festival. With two matches being held on the makeshift playing field before the Racing/Pride match there are concerns about how well it’ll hold up, but Racing coach Kim Björkegren said there’s nothing they can do but manage that when they get there. When asked about his thoughts on participating in this unique festival, he just laughed and shrugged saying, “It’s America and it’s fun.”
He’s right in that special, tent-pole events like this are distinctly American, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be beneficial. Midfielder Lauren Milliet said, “I think anytime we can bring women’s soccer to a different event is good for the game and good for us.”
The players certainly seem to be having a good time according to their social media posts. (If you don’t follow the players on Instagram, now is a good time to start.) And, as Coach Kim said, fun is the whole point. This game has a good chance of reaching a bigger audience than normal due to its new location and crossover appeal. And it’s going to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network which gives it a good chance of being seen by more casual viewers than normal. It has yet to be seen if the event can actually be pulled off, but for now, let’s just enjoy the fun of it.
Ready to go Racing @DAYTONA with my team @D_Soccerfest 🏎💜#RacingLou #DaytonaSoccerFest pic.twitter.com/0GWbpoQbmY
— Gemma Bonner (@gembon23) July 2, 2022
Looks like our resident jockey is ready to give a different kind of horsepower a try. 🤣 https://t.co/D5fFm0Hvkl pic.twitter.com/CVpZYJrM4M
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) July 2, 2022
Know Your Foe
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