Racing Louisville returns to regular season NWSL action with a 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday home contest at Lynn Family Stadium against the Chicago Red Stars.
The matchup pits ninth-place Racing, two points out of playoff position, against seventh-place Chicago in a game critical to the 10-game push for one of the league’s eight postseason berths.
The match will be broadcast over the air on ION and streamed for free on ionnwsl.com. Sports Talk 790 AM will carry the radio broadcast, which will be additionally available online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.
Racing (3-6-7, 16 points) entered the five-week break from the regular season – to accommodate the Summer Olympics – in laborious form. The Louisvillians went winless in their final five league games before the stoppage in play, but they then went unbeaten over five matches in the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and The Women’s Cup.
Saturday’s game is the return game from a May 25 confrontation at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, where Racing topped Chicago, 1-0, thanks to a first-half goal from standout rookie forward Emma Sears.
This game, however, should have a different look to it after both teams made significant additions to their rosters in the August transfer window.
Racing signed Colombia national team defender Ángela Barón and traded for forwards Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie, two seasoned NWSL veterans. Chicago signed Beckie’s Canada national team colleague Julia Grosso and added Brazilian winger Ludmila.
Chicago (7-7-2, 23 points) built a good points cushion before the Olympic break, holding a five-point lead over eighth-place Bay in the playoff race. The Red Stars have four wins, two draws and two losses in road games, making them the fifth-best away team in the NWSL.
Star forward Mallory Swanson is tied for fourth in the chase for the league’s golden boot, its top scorer, with seven goals. She scored in each of her final four games with Chicago before joining up with the U.S. Women’s National Team and helping claim the gold medal at the Olympics.
Two Racing standouts, Balcer and midfielder Savannah DeMelo, are two goals behind Swanson in the scoring race, with five scores each.
Follow along …
- For the starting lineup and in-game updates, follow @RacingLouFC on Twitter and Racing Louisville FC on Facebook. You can also find us at @racinglouisvillefc on Instagram.
- The game will be broadcast on ION – viewers can search for the channel number in their area by typing in their ZIP Code here – or streamed free at ionnwsl.com. You can listen to the match on Sports Talk 790 AM, online at 790louisville.iheart.com or via the iHeart app.
Storylines …
New faces, new places: Saturday represents the first chance for Racing Louisville to trot out its newest additions – forwards Bethany Balcer and Janine Beckie and defender Ángela Barón. The trio joined the squad during the August transfer window and will suit up for the home team for the first time at Lynn Family Stadium. Balcer comes to Louisville with 33 career goals, the third-most in the NWSL since she joined the league in 2019, and she is the only player in the league to score at least five goals in each season since then. Beckie brings winning credentials as an Olympic gold medalist and NWSL champion. And Barón, who is just 20 years old, has already appeared in five major international tournaments for Colombia’s national team.
Never go out of style: Taylor Flint has been one of the top NWSL signings of the offseason. The 25-year-old leads the league in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles and ranks second in blocks – all despite missing a game and a half through injury. The Nevada native was named to the NWSL Best XI for March/April and has continued her impressive form through the season, with one goal and 12 chances created in 15 appearances.
DeMelo’s dangerous: With only 53 NWSL matches under her belt, Savannah DeMelo is already reaching record books and setting the pace on Racing Louisville milestones. The 26-year-old has a team-best five goals to go with one assist this season, pushing into the club’s all-time lead for goals (14) and tying her with Lauren Milliet as the club’s assists leader (5). Her next goal would give her a new career-best in a single season. The USC grad is the NWSL’s leader in free-kick goals among current players and tied for third all-time.
Air Kiwi: Veteran defender Abby Erceg moved into third in the NWSL record books in career minutes played, surpassing Gotham’s McCall Zerboni as she also climbed past 16,000 minutes over 185 games. The center back has started every game and played every minute for Racing since joining the club via trade ahead of the 2023 season. She has two goals and an assist in 38 league games with Racing.
Searsiously proving herself: Rookie forward Emma Sears has been outstanding since joining Racing as a second-round pick in this year’s NWSL Draft. The Ohio State alum has three goals and an assist in 16 appearances this season. She ranks fourth in the NWSL in dribbles into the penalty area; fifth in progressive carries; seventh in successful take-ons; and eighth in crosses into the penalty area. She added a goal and an assist in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
Kanu believe this? Racing Louisville forward Uchenna Kanu is back from the Summer Olympics and aiming to return to her early-season form. The Nigerian international netted four goals in the first month of the season, including two at Portland while scoring the fastest brace from kickoff in league history. Kanu also rang up goals against Orlando and Utah.
Bahr none: How about that for an NWSL debut? For the first time in eight years, a player registered an assist and a goal in their NWSL debut, with Racing’s Elexa Bahr matching Houston’s Rachel Daly in 2016 with the feat. Bahr scored a magnificent opening goal in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16, chipping the goalkeeper from the edge of the box. She added an assist a few minutes later on Uchenna Kanu’s well-taken goal in transition.
Global Racing: Racing Louisville became the first club in NWSL history to feature players from six different continental confederations on its roster in 2023, and that hasn’t changed despite roster turnover this offseason. Louisville’s 26-player roster consists of two players from Oceania Football Confederation; one from Asian Football Confederation; two from Confederation of African Football; one player from Union of European Football Associations; two from CONMEBOL (South America); and the remaining 18 from the U.S. (Note: Forward Elexa Bahr was born and raised in the U.S. but competes for the Colombian national team.)
