August 4, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Racing Louisville FC News Release
Racing Louisville FC hosts the Washington Spirit at 8 p.m. Friday in the Spirit’s first trip back to Louisville since winning the 2021 NWSL Championship at Lynn Family Stadium. But this year hasn’t exactly served as a victory tour.
With a 1-5-8 record (11 points), Washington is winless since its May 1 opener. The streak includes these clubs’ only prior meeting, a June 17 draw in which Racing Louisville’s Jess McDonald assisted a pair of Nadia Nadim goals off the bench for a rallying 2-2 result.
Racing enters the weekend also desperate for a win, going since May 22 without claiming a full three points. Louisville’s record stands at 2-6-6 (12 points).
The Spirit’s misfortunes are a bit of a mystery. The club stars a number of influential U.S. Women’s National Team players that just helped the Americans win the Concacaf W Championship, qualifying both for the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics.
Seven Washington players – among them last season’s Rookie of the Year, Trinity Rodman, and more mainstay national teamers such as Kelley O’Hara, Emily Sonnett and Andi Sullivan – were all part of the last USWNT roster.
Eight regular season games remain with Racing and Washington seven and eight points, respectively, off a top-six playoff position in the league standings.
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
N/A
Story lines…
Plenty to play for: Coach Kim Björkegren wasn’t ready to concede a playoff spot following Tuesday’s draw with OL Reign, saying, “We can just do our best and then let’s see if we’re going to make the top six.” Racing does have a chance to claw back with games remaining against teams just ahead: KC Current (sixth), Angel City (seventh) and Orlando Pride (eighth).
Close calls: While Racing matched last year’s season-long winless streak at nine games, the club has taken a point away from four of its last six contests. Only one of five defeats over this span were decided by more than a goal.
Congested schedule: Friday’s game will mark Racing’s third match in eight days exiting the NWSL’s break near the end of July. Games keep coming in quick succession through August, seeing Racing play seven games in 30 days…