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Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC’s youth academy has opened registration for its spring break and summer camps — the largest instructional programs of the year that launch in April.

Nearly 1,000 kids were hosted over the course of 10 afternoon and evening sessions in 2021. The 2022 camps are again expected to sell out with signups at LouCityRacingAcademy.com/camps.

Camps are open to those ages 6 to 18. Each level is designed to challenge players from beginners to the elite youth player in a fun, safe environment that inspires campers to improve.

All camps are hosted at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, 801 Edith Road, where LouCity and Racing’s pros also operate on a daily basis.

Contact the club’s executive youth director, Kristen Wallace (kwallace@loucity.com), with camp questions.

As Racing Louisville FC prepares for the upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup tournament, four players will depart preseason camp to join their respective national teams. Emily Fox (United States), Jaelin Howell (United States), Ebony Salmon (England U-23) and Sydney Cummings (Guyana) have each been called up for various international competitions. 

Here’s what you need to know about each … 

UNITED STATES – Emily Fox & JAelin Howell

The United States Women’s National Team will compete in the seventh edition of SheBelieves Cup. The USWNT, along with Iceland, New Zealand and the Czech Republic, will play in the round-robin tournament starting Thursday in Carson, Calif., and Frisco, Texas. The Stars & Stripes are looking for their third consecutive SheBelieves Cup trophy. 

This marks the third camp surrounding SheBelieves Cup that Fox has participated in. Last season, she was a practice player as the U.S. prepared for the tournament. Since then, she has earned call-ups in the last three national team camps, including a Woman of the Match performance in the USWNT’s final performance of 2021.  

Howell joins the USWNT as an injury replacement for Lindsay Horan. This marks her first non-training camp call up since last year’s SheBelieves Cup, when she made a sub appearance in the final match against Argentina.  

England U-23 – Ebony Salmon 

England’s U-23 team will travel to Lisieux, France, for a pair of friendlies against Les Bleus’ U-23 side. The U-23 program took a hiatus from 2018 until October 2021. Since then, the team has gone 2-0.

Salmon, 21, has been a member of the two previous U-23 camps, including captaining the team in a 1-0 victory against Belgium in October. In addition, she has gotten some looks with the senior team, getting called up in September for UEFA World Cup Qualifying. 

Guyana – Sydney Cummings

Guyana is set to participate in a pair of qualifiers for the Concacaf W-Championship that will be held over the summer. Guyana has been placed in Group F along with Trinidad & Tobago, Nicaragua, Dominica and Turks & Caicos Islands. The group winner will advance to the Concacaf W Championship over the summer that will determine which countries will represent Concacaf in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. 

After being selected in the 2022 NWSL Draft, Cummings has joined Racing for preseason. An All-Ivy League performer in 2017, 2018 and 2019 with Brown University, she transferred to Georgetown for her senior season to net 5 goals across 22 appearances as a defender. This marks Cummings’ first call up to the Lady Jags since 2018. 

HOW to FOllow along 

Wednesday, Feb. 16

Guyana vs. Dominica (6:50 p.m., Paramount+)

Thursday, Feb. 17

England U-23s vs. France U-23s* (9 a.m.)
USWNT vs. Czech Republic (11 p.m., ESPN)

Saturday, Feb. 19

Guyana vs. Turks and Caicos Island (6:50 p.m., Paramount+)

Sunday, Feb. 20

England U-23s vs. France U-23s* (9 a.m.)
USWNT vs. New Zealand (3 p.m., ABC)

Wednesday, Feb. 23

USWNT vs. Iceland (9 p.m., ESPN)

* Follow @Lionesses on Twitter for updates and streaming information. 

Racing Louisville FC has set a five-game preseason schedule against NCAA Division I opponents, it was announced Monday, to mark the club’s first competitions with new coach Kim Björkegren in charge.

Preseason games are expected to be played in training ground environments closed to the public. Available updates will be communicated via the club’s social media channels and website.

In addition to its coach, Racing has added a number of new players over the offseason, including veteran forward Jess McDonald and top draft pick Jaelin Howell, while looking to improve on a ninth-place NWSL finish in its inaugural year.

Having opened training Feb. 1, Racing will play its first preseason game Friday when hosting the University of Louisville at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center. The Cardinals have been linked to Racing since the club’s beginnings with Racing making Louisville native Emina Ekic the program’s first NWSL Draft pick at No. 5 overall in 2021.

From there, Racing heads south for a week of training — plus a pair of games against elite competition. The club will face defending national champion Florida State in Tallahassee on both Feb. 21 and 24. Of course, Racing recently signed Howell, a Seminoles great who twice won the MAC Hermann Trophy for NCAA Division I player of the year.

Back home on March 5, Racing will host the reigning Southeastern Conference tournament champion University of Tennessee before closing out preseason competition March 12 against Murray State. The NWSL Challenge Cup is then slated to open March 18, with six tournament games preceding the regular seasons’s start in mid-May.

Racing Louisville FC’s 2022 Preseason Schedule

Feb. 18 vs. Louisville

Feb. 21 at Florida State

Feb. 24 at Florida State

March 5 vs. Tennessee

March 12 vs. Murray State

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.”

Racing Louisville midfielder Jaelin Howell has been called up to the U.S. Women’s National Team for the 2022 SheBelieves Cup with Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Lindsey Horan ruled out due to knee irritation, it was announced Friday.

The SheBelieves Cup — which also features Czech Republic, New Zealand and Iceland — will be played over three doubleheader events taking place on Feb. 17 and 20 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. and Feb. 23 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Howell, 22, will look to add to her two senior team caps, most recently appearing for 28 minutes of last year’s SheBelieves Cup in the tournament finale against Argentina. The 2022 NWSL Draft’s second overall pick is a two-time winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy as college soccer’s top player for Florida State who helped lead the Seminoles to the NCAA title last fall.

Howell joins her new Racing teammate, defender Emily Fox, for the SheBelieves Cup. The invitational originated in 2016 and carries with it a theme to encourage young women to achieve their dreams on and off the field.

The U.S. is set for SheBelieves Cup matches at 11 p.m. ET on Feb. 17 (Czech Republic, ESPN);  3 p.m. ET on Feb. 20 (New Zealand, ABC); and at 11 p.m. on Feb. 23 (Iceland, ESPN).

USWNT’s 2022 SheBelieves Cup Roster
By position (club: caps/goals)

Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit; 0), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage; 2), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars; 78)

Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign; 4/0), Tierna Davidson (Chicago Red Stars; 45/1), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville FC; 8/0), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign; 9/0), Kelley O’Hara (Washington Spirit; 148/2), Emily Sonnett (Washington Spirit; 63/0), Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC; 199/0)

Midfielders: Morgan Gautrat (Chicago Red Stars; 87/8), Jaelin Howell (Racing Louisville FC; 2/0), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign; 68/18), Catarina Macario (Olympique Lyonnais, FRA; 12/3), Kristie Mewis (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 33/4), Ashley Sanchez (Washington Spirit; 2/0), Andi Sullivan (Washington Spirit; 22/2)

Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington Spirit; 4/2), Mallory Pugh (Chicago Red Stars; 67/18), Margaret Purce (NJ/NY Gotham FC; 9/2), Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit; 0/0), Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns FC; 10/1), Lynn Williams (Kansas City Current; 45/14)

Racing Louisville FC has signed United States youth international Hillary Beall to a one-year contract with an option for 2023, the club announced Thursday, to round out its goalkeeping corps ahead of the 2022 season.

Beall, who attended Racing’s pre-2022 NWSL Draft goalkeeper camp back in December, was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team last fall while captaining the University of Michigan, which went 17-4-3 on the season.

The Laguna Beach, Calif., native also boasts extensive U.S. youth national team experience, featuring in competitions from the U-17 to U-20 levels.

“Hillary is a very talented goalkeeper and brings a lot of valuable experience through her time with the youth national teams,” said Racing’s goalkeepers coach, Sergio Gonzalez. “She’s also shown her qualities throughout her career at the University of Michigan. I’m very excited to have her as part of our goalkeeping unit to see how she competes within the team.”

Beall numbered 285 saves and a 0.797 save percentage at Michigan. During her fifth-year senior season last fall the Wolverines advanced to the NCAA tournament’s quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion Florida State in overtime.

A notable final college season followed a standout summer for Beall, who was named 2021 All-United Women’s Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year after helping SC Blue Heat to a UWS National Championship in the national pro-am league.

While wearing red, white and blue, Beall was most recently a member of the 2018 U-20 World Cup squad in France. There, she played alongside eventual Racing teammates Emily Fox, Savannah DeMelo and Jaelin Howell.

“I am really excited to be here in Louisville with a newer team and organization,” Beall said. “It has been my dream since I was a little kid to play professional soccer, so I am thrilled about it. I am ready to go to work.”

Beall, who joined Racing for the start of its preseason camp, joins fellow goalkeepers Katie Lund and Jordyn Bloomer on the roster. The club is preparing for the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup tournament kicking off March 18.

Amid the dead of winter, Lynn Family Stadium has become host to a different sort of light show. It doesn’t kick on before an opening whistle or after a home team goal — and its only audience some nights consists of curious onlookers driving past on the interstate.

Soccer Holdings, LLC, recently invested in a herd of grow light fixtures from SGL — which also supplies technology to European giants such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea — toward maintaining a more consistent pitch this year for Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC.

With Lynn Family Stadium’s mix of Bermuda and rye grass used in an array of extreme climate situations, the lights are expected to provide a better surface throughout the season.

“The last two years we have had to re-sod mid-season, and we wanted to add to our toolbox,” said Chris Chartier, assistant general manager for stadium operator ASM Global. “The grow lights help build the root system of the Bermuda grass to help the surface stability in the late fall championship games.”

Bermuda and rye grow opposite of one another. The former thrives in the summer, while the latter sprouts in the winter. Their blend is what allows a field in Louisville, Ky., to stay green all year — now thanks to some extra help.

Grow lights are a must for just about any soccer stadium with a roof that blocks regular sunlight to the pitch. At Lynn Family Stadium, the trouble spot can be found in the Estopinal End’s west corner.

Additionally, the lights should help during the pitch’s transitional times such as the fall, when LouCity has traditionally played deep into the postseason.

“The goal is to extend the Bermuda as long as possible,” Chartier said. “Soccer prefers Bermuda grass, which is more stable and stronger. The Bermuda goes dormant, and the rye helps stabilize the dormant Bermuda to play games late into the fall. The lights also help transition back in the spring and early summer.” 

Domestically, SGL’s lights can be found in Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball and National Football League stadiums. That includes Minnesota United FC’s Allianz Field, which last week hosted the U.S. Men’s National Team for a World Cup qualifier in frigid temperatures.

Luckily, in Louisville teams won’t be expected in action during the year’s coldest months. Both LouCity and Racing will be back in action in March, when benefits of newly arrived equipment should begin showing themselves.

Racing Louisville FC has strengthened its goalkeeping corps by signing Jordyn Bloomer, the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, to a one-year contract with an option for 2023, it was announced Tuesday.

The second player at her position selected in December’s draft, Bloomer was a two-time Big Ten Conference Goalkeeper of the Year at the University of Wisconsin. There, she registered a 0.65 goals-against average 0.823 save percentage.

“Jordyn is an extremely athletic goalkeeper with a tremendous work rate,” said Racing’s goalkeepers coach, Sergio Gonzalez. “She has shown that through her career at Wisconsin, and I’m very excited to have her as part of our goalkeeping corps to see how she competes within the team.”

A Hartland, Wis., native, Bloomer emerged as a serious pro prospect during her breakout 2019 season. As a junior, she received her first Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year nod in addition to First Team All-American honors, posting a 0.53 goals-against average and 0.850 save percentage.

In 2021, as a fifth-year senior, she posted nine shutouts while helping the Badgers to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, again earning the title of Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year.

Bloomer was decorated off the field, too, as one of nine women’s soccer finalists for the Senior CLASS Award going to those who excelled on the field, in the classroom and within their community during the 2020/2021 season.

“It’s been a dream,” Bloomer said. “I am wildly excited to be here. It has been everything I could’ve hoped for so far. I am looking forward to get rolling with the rest of preseason.”

Bloomer is already in camp with Racing, which also has under contract for the 2022 goalkeeper Katie Lund. The club is preparing for the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup tournament kicking off March 18 before the regular season begins in May.

The National Women’s Soccer League on Monday released the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup schedule, officially setting Racing Louisville FC’s first six games of the year.

NWSL clubs were divided into three geographically aligned pods with Racing slotted in the Central alongside the Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash and Kansas City Current. Each of those teams will in play in round-robin fashion once home and away before the group winner advances to a playoff semifinal.

Racing kicks off the Challenge Cup with back-to-back home games on Fridays — March 18 (Kansas City) and March 25 (Houston) — before a Saturday contest April 16 (Chicago) at Lynn Family Stadium.

Single-game Challenge Cup tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 15. Season ticket members will get complimentary admission to Challenge Cup opener with the choice to opt out for the remaining two home games. Members will receive more information via email.

Fans can visit www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc/2022-schedule to sync games to their digital calendars.

Other Challenge Cup divisions include the East (NJ/NY Gotham FC, North Carolina Courage, Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit) and West (Angel City FC, OL Reign, Portland Thorns FC and San Diego Wave FC). Along with group winners, the top-earning runner-up will qualify for the semifinal round.

The Challenge Cup’s final will be played Saturday, May 7, on CBS. Other broadcast details will be announced later.

This marks the Challenge Cup’s third iteration. In 2020, the NWSL launched it as a bubble tournament to resume play amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Challenge Cup returned in 2021 as a preseason event.

Following this year’s tournament, teams will move on to their 22-game regular season that will see a balanced schedule with a game apiece home and away versus every other team in the league.

Racing’s 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Schedule
(Home games in bold. All times Eastern.)

March 18 vs. KC Current (7:30 p.m.)
March 25 vs. Houston Dash (7:30 p.m.)
March 30 at Chicago Red Stars (7:30 p.m.)
April 2 at KC Current (3 p.m.)
April 16 vs. Chicago Red Stars (7:30 p.m.)
Sunday April 24 at Houston Dash (7 p.m.)