Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage in a brisk wind at the Lynn Family Sports & Vision Training Center provided new Racing Louisville FC coach Kim Bjorkegren a good look at his new squad and the chance to cap a week intended to ramp up team fitness at the start of preseason camp.
The 70-minute exhibition played out over two halves, with teams evenly split to create a competitive balance.
“It was important to give them 70 minutes in the legs,” Bjorkegren said. “The quality part of it was good. In the end they were really tired, we could see, but that’s normal. It will be better and better from here.”
Early signs of a budding partnership between new signing Jess McDonald and second-year striker Ebony Salmon made for an entertaining match. The duo helped their squad, which also featured returning players Cece Kizer, Katie Lund, Freja Olofsson, Nealy Martin and Addisyn Merrick, among others, pull away for a 4-1 victory with three goals in the final eight minutes.
The final score, however, is misleading. As Bjorkegren echoed, it was competitive throughout, just the way he wanted. Teams were scoreless through 25 minutes. After McDonald’s rebound goal off Salmon’s shot that rattled the post, Emina Ekic equalized four minutes later with a right-footed rocket of a one-timer that beat the outstretched Lund to the near post.
Beautiful buildup, highlighted by a perfectly weighted through ball from draftee Jenna Menta, led to McDonald’s assist on Salmon’s frame-shaking finish from the edge of the area on 62 minutes. McDonald made it 3-1 seven minutes later with a clinically chipped goal over rookie goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer, who came off her line after her team’s giveaway in possession put McDonald through on goal.
Camp invitee Taylor Malham completed the scoring with a tap-in from a McDonald pass as the last play of the match.
Here are some key takeaways from the exhibition:
The McDonald influence
If two goals and two assists weren’t proof enough, the 2019 World Cup winner and three-time NWSL champion also illustrated her immense value to the club during halftime, when she orchestrated an impromptu tactics discussion near midfield with her teammates.
The 33-year-old forward was everywhere in her team’s attacking movements, taking on defenders or creating space with her runs. Salmon, in addition to her goal hit the woodwork two other times, looked confident and comfortable in tandem with the U.S. national team veteran.
“Playing against her last year, you could tell how good of a player she is,” Salmon said of McDonald. “She’s been in the league a long time and she has a lot of experience, which I think is going to really help us as a team. To play alongside her is only going to make me a better player.”
Merrick returns to action
The young defender’s presence on the back line will be a welcome sight for Racing supporters. Merrick missed all but 57 minutes last season because of injuries, but her performances for the North Carolina Courage in 2020 displayed the talent and potential she possesses.
The question about Merrick is whether she will play inside at center back or operate on the flanks as a fullback. “We will see,” Bjorkegren said, adding that he was impressed by Merrick’s work in Friday’s scrimmage. The Kansas grad played center back in a pairing with 2021 NWSL Draft pick Emily Smith.
Newbies bring poise, athleticism
In addition to Menta’s role in Salmon’s goal, fellow rookies Kirsten Davis, Savannah DeMelo and Parker Goins produced a handful of good chances in the other direction.
Davis and Goins, two 2021 NWSL Draft picks, generated three opportunities combined, with Davis setting up Ekic’s goal and Goins twice putting Davis into position for shots. With the game still tied, Goins nudged on a bouncing ball into Davis’s path just outside the area, and Davis smashed her shot off the post. Both very much looked the part, and Ekic, a first-round pick in the same draft, was a constant threat darting in from the left.
In the second half, DeMelo, who played central midfield in a trio with Lauren Milliet and Taylor Otto, dribbled through traffic in front of goal before firing a sharp shot near post that required a diving save from Lund.
Tempo and possession
Bjorkegren’s desire for his team to play out from defense and keep possession while operating at a high tempo was clear in the 70 minutes of action. Both DeMelo and Salmon point out the coach’s determination to speed up play and work through possessions. Several attacking moves reflected the uptick in pace.
“He wants us to go from defense to midfield to forwards, not skipping any lines, and (stay) possession-based” DeMelo said. “But once we lose it, we’re working hard to get back possession.”
