Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville FC
Full nameRacing Louisville Football Club
FoundedOctober 22, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-10-22)
StadiumLynn Family Stadium
Louisville, Kentucky
Capacity15,304
OwnerSoccer Holdings, LLC
ChairmanJohn Neace
Head coachBev Yanez
LeagueNational Women's Soccer League
20239th of 12
Websitehttps://www.racingloufc.com/
Current season

Racing Louisville Football Club is a women's soccer team based in Louisville, Kentucky that plays in the National Women's Soccer League. It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC.[1] The expansion team was announced on October 22, 2019.[2]

History

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Louisville was mentioned as a potential candidate for an expansion team in National Women's Soccer League as early as 2018, shortly after construction began on their soccer-specific venue, Lynn Family Stadium.[3] The ownership group of USL Championship club Louisville City FC began preliminary discussions with the league the following year, with plans to enter in the 2020 season.[4][5] Louisville's NWSL expansion team was officially announced on October 22, 2019, sharing its ownership group with Louisville City FC. It would begin play in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium.[6]

In November 2019, NWSL filed a trademark application for "Proof Louisville FC", which was confirmed by Louisville City FC as their preliminary name for the team. The name references the local bourbon whiskey industry by using the term "proof", a measure of alcohol content.[7] The ownership group later announced in April 2020 that they would explore other names with community input after a mixed reception from fans.[1][8] The club's new name, Racing Louisville FC, was officially unveiled on July 8, 2020.[9] PNC Bank was announced as the club's first kit sponsor on July 1, 2020, with the company's logo appearing on the back of the team's jerseys.[10] On December 17, 2020, Louisville City announced that GE Appliances, which had already been that club's primary shirt sponsor (i.e., on the front of the kit), would expand this sponsorship to include all clubs under the Louisville City umbrella, including Racing.[11]

Former Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly was named as Racing Louisville FC's first head coach on August 12, 2020.[12] The club made their NWSL debut in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup, where they finished at the bottom of the East Division with two losses and two draws.[13] Racing Louisville FC made their home debut on May 15, 2021, playing to a scoreless draw against Kansas City NWSL.[14]

Holly was fired for cause on August 31, 2021, and the club named Mario Sanchez, head of the club's youth academy and former collegiate coach, as the interim head coach.[15] After the season, veteran Swedish coach Kim Björkegren was named as the permanent replacement.[16] In 2022, a report from U.S. Soccer revealed that Holly had allegedly sexually abused players as coach of Racing.[17]

Racing named former NWSL MVP finalist and Best XI selection Bev Yanez as its new coach in November 2023.[18]

Club identity

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Racing Louisville FC is named in reference to the city's horse racing venues, including the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, using the "Racing" moniker used by foreign clubs.[1] The club's circular crest uses a lavender background and a four-pointed fleur-de-lis at its center in violet. It was designed by Matthew Wolff, who had previously worked with Major League Soccer teams New York City FC and Los Angeles FC.[19][20]

Stadium and facilities

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Lynn Family Stadium, the team's home venue

The club shares Lynn Family Stadium and its training facilities with Louisville City FC. The soccer-specific stadium, opened in 2020, has a seated capacity of 11,600, with standing-room capacity up to 15,304.[21] The 20-acre (8.1 ha) training facilities at Louisville Champions Park includes several practice fields and an indoor gymnasium and office complex.[22]

Players and staff

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See also: List of Racing Louisville FC players

Current squad

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As of August 31, 2024.[23]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Katie Lund  United States
2 DF Lauren Milliet  United States
3 DF Arin Wright  United States
4 DF Elli Pikkujämsä  Finland
5 DF Ellie Jean  United States
7 MF Savannah DeMelo  United States
8 MF Ary Borges  Brazil
9 MF Kayla Fischer  United States
10 FW Linda Motlhalo  South Africa
11 DF Courtney Petersen  United States
13 FW Emma Sears  United States
14 MF Marisa DiGrande  United States
15 DF Ángela Barón  Colombia
16 FW Janine Beckie  Canada
17 DF Maddie Pokorny  United States
18 FW Milly Clegg  New Zealand
19 MF Jordan Baggett  United States
20 DF Abby Erceg  New Zealand
21 FW Parker Goins  United States
22 FW Kirsten Wright  United States
23 FW Elexa Bahr  Colombia
24 GK Jordyn Bloomer  United States
26 MF Taylor Flint  United States
29 FW Uchenna Kanu  Nigeria
88 FW Bethany Balcer  United States
99 GK Olivia Sekany  United States

Out on loan

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No. Pos. Player Nation
77 GK Madison White (at Dallas Trinity FC until May 2025 [24])  United States

Staff

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As of February 19, 2024[25]
Technical
Head coach Beverly Goebel Yanez
Assistant coach Carmelina Moscato
Assistant coach Mitch Sowerby
Goalkeeper coach Sergio Gonzalez
Support
Head athletic trainer Tara Condon
Assistant athletic trainer Isabelle Clarke
Head equipment manager Sarah Kanuch

Head coaches

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Record

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Year-by-year

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Season League Regular season Playoffs Challenge Cup Average attendance
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos
2021 NWSL 24 5 7 12 21 40 22 9th Did not qualify Group stage 6,565
2022 22 5 8 9 23 35 23 9th Did not qualify Group stage 6,048
2023 22 6 9 7 25 24 27 9th Did not qualify Runners-up

References

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  1. ^ a b c Creditor, Avi (July 8, 2020). "NWSL Expansion Team to Be Called Racing Louisville FC". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. ^ "National Women's Soccer League announces expansion to Louisville in 2021" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. ^ Morris, Neal (August 23, 2018). "NWSL expansion could see teams added in USL cities". WRALSportsFan. WRAL. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Lerner, Danielle (August 14, 2019). "NWSL looking at Louisville as a candidate for women's pro soccer expansion". The Courier-Journal. p. B1. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Linehan, Megan; Rueter, Jeff (August 13, 2019). "Sources: Louisville is the leading candidate for 2020 NWSL expansion". The Athletic. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Tim (October 23, 2019). "Louisville is getting a National Women's Soccer League franchise. Here's what to know". The Courier-Journal. p. A1. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Tim (November 12, 2019). "Louisville's NWSL expansion team has a name, and it's a nod to Kentucky's favorite spirit". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Gardner, Hayes (April 21, 2020). "Proof Louisville FC — the city's NWSL team — may get a new name". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  9. ^ Aulbach, Lucas (July 8, 2020). "Meet Racing Louisville FC: New NWSL team announces name and colors ahead of 2021 debut". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Finley, Marty (July 1, 2020). "Louisville women's soccer franchise lands first major corporate sponsor". Louisville Business First. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "GE Appliances Extends LouCity Agreement, Expands Support for Soccer" (Press release). Louisville City FC. December 17, 2020. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Aulbach, Lucas; Yates, Dominique (August 12, 2020). "Christy Holly will lead Racing Louisville FC, the city's new NWSL franchise, in 2021". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  13. ^ "Racing Louisville FC ends Challenge Cup with 0–0 tie at Gotham FC". WDRB. May 2, 2021. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Saxon, Jonathan (May 15, 2021). "Racing Louisville, Kansas City fight to 0–0 draw in season opener". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Garnder, Hayes (August 31, 2021). "Racing Louisville FC fires first head coach Christy Holly 'for cause'". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "Racing Louisville FC Hires Björkegren as Head Coach" (Press release). Racing Louisville FC. December 9, 2021. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Yang, Steph; Linehan, Meg (October 3, 2022). "NWSL investigations: Everything you need to know from Sally Yates' report and what's next". The Athletic. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "Racing Louisville FC appoint assistant Bev Yanez as new head coach to replace Kim Bjorkegren". CBSSports.com. November 30, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  19. ^ "Racing Louisville FC announced as NWSL's newest franchise". RacingLouFC.com (Press release). July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Finley, Marty (July 8, 2020). "Louisville's new women's pro soccer team unveils name, logo". Louisville Business First. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "NWSL coming to Louisville in 2021" (Press release). Louisville City FC. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Soccer Holdings releases plans for new training facility" (Press release). Racing Louisville FC. June 10, 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Roster". Racing Louisville FC. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  24. ^ "Racing Loans Goalkeeper Madison White to USL Side Dallas". Racing Louisville FC. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  25. ^ "Technical Staff". racingloufc.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
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