Racing Louisville FC travels to Florida for a 7 p.m. Thursday matchup against the Orlando Pride at Inter&Co Stadium with an opportunity to punch a ticket to the semifinals of the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup.
By kickoff, Racing and Orlando will know what result is needed to top the group – groupmates Monterrey and North Carolina play each other Wednesday evening. Either Racing or North Carolina could qualify for the Summer Cup semifinals, set for next Tuesday in Kansas City, with a win. If both land on seven points in the standings, the first tiebreaker is goal differential, followed by total goals scored over the three games.
Thursday’s match will be broadcast on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
Racing Louisville (1-0-1, 4 points) is tied on points with the North Carolina Courage but sit atop Group E with a plus-two goal differential to North Carolina’s even differential.
This is the third meeting this year between Louisville and Orlando, with the teams already completing their home-and-home regular season series. They drew the season opener, 2-2, in Louisville, and Orlando topped Racing, 1-0, in early May.
Not much has separated Orlando and Racing in 10 matches across all competitions since Louisville joined the NWSL in 2021. Each has won three matches against the other, with three draws. Their games are typically full of goals – with 31 scored in the 10 meetings and at least one of the teams scoring twice in seven of those matchups.
The Louisvillians have never beaten Orlando away from Lynn Family Stadium – something they’ll have to do to extend their time in the Summer Cup.
The Pride (0-0-2, 3 points) have drawn both their first two group stage matches. They lost the first shootout at North Carolina but rebounded at home to beat Monterrey, 5-4, on spot kicks and pick up the extra point in the group standings. Against the Mexican outfit, Orlando found itself behind twice, equalizing through Alex Kerr in the 50th minute and Julie Doyle in the 83rd.
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 match will be broadcast live on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network in English and streamed for free on the NWSL+ app in Spanish, which is available via Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku as well as plus.nwslsoccer.com.
Storylines …
Summer Cup rules: Compared to NWSL regular season play, the Summer Cup is set to be played under a different set of rules and regulations. A video assistant referee, or VAR, will not be available to review plays during the tournament. If a group stage match is tied at the end of regulation, both teams receive a point, but there will be a penalty shootout to award an additional point. Also, if a match must be abandoned for any reason, it will be considered complete if one half has been played.
Gone Fischin’: Kayla Fischer carried the momentum from her standout display in the win over Monterrey into the meeting against North Carolina. The 24-year-old Ohio native scored her second career goal against the Mexican outfit just two minutes after coming on as a substitute. Then, in the draw against the Courage, she provided the cross that found its way to Carson Pickett, who gave Louisville the lead in the 66th minute. In the first two Summer Cup games, Fischer leads Racing in chances created (6) and shots inside the box (4).
Carson picks it: One of the NWSL’s best passers over the past few seasons, Carson Pickett found the back of the net for the third time in her career, this time against her former club, the North Carolina Courage. The 30-year-old is having another standout season, leading the league in chances created (35). Pickett’s first regular season assist in a Racing jersey came on Reilyn Turner’s goal against Utah on April 20. The Florida native joined the illustrious 150 NWSL regular-season appearances club on June 7.
Queen Ary arrives: Brazilian international Ary Borges made her third appearance since returning from injury, playing the full second half against North Carolina. Against Monterrey, Borges scored her first goal for Racing in 430 days. She won two tackles with one interception against Carolina, converting her penalty in the postgame shootout.
DeMelo leading the way: With two assists against Monterrey, Savannah DeMelo now has five goals and three assists across all competitions, taking over sole possession of the team lead in goal contributions. Seven of those eight goal involvements have been recorded at Lynn Family Stadium.
Searsiously special: Rookie forward Emma Sears scored for the fourth time this year, converting the all-important equalizer against Monterrey off a rebound from a Jaelin Howell shot that hit the post in the 36th minute. The Ohio State grad now has five goal involvements across all competitions, including two scores that earned NWSL Goal of the Week honors.
Enchanted to meet you: Taylor Flint scored her first NWSL penalty – and her first goal for Racing – in the 3-2 loss to Angel City on June 19. She was named to the NWSL Best XI for March and April, and through 15 games played, Flint ranks first in the NWSL in aerial duels won, interceptions and tackles won and sixth in possession recoveries among non-goalkeepers despite missing the June 29 game against Bay with a concussion.
Erceg’s longevity: Veteran defender and club vice-captain Abby Erceg is now third in all-time NWSL minutes (16,361), surpassing McCall Zerboni after registering 90 minutes against Bay on June 29. In her 10th season in the NWSL, the New Zealand national team legend has won three NWSL championships in her career while playing in four Olympics and four World Cups for the Football Ferns.
Lund’s milestone: Katie Lund made the 250th save of her career on June 19 at Angel City, a feat only 10 other goalkeepers in league history have reached. She also became one of only seven NWSL goalkeepers to record that number of saves for one team.
Kanu making an impact: So far this season, Nigerian forward Uchenna Kanu has four goals in 10 appearances to tie for 16th in the NWSL golden boot race. Her brace in the opening six minutes against Portland on March 30 was the fastest from the start of a game in league history. She is one of two NWSL players with four goals in fewer than 12 appearances this season.
Bahr none: 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 the opening goal and assisted a second in the season-opening draw vs. Orlando on March 16.
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 this year. 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: U.S.-born forward Elexa Bahr competes for the Colombian national team.)
