Racing Louisville FC

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]

Racing Louisville FC

Full name	Racing Louisville Football Club
Founded	October 22, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-10-22)
Stadium	Lynn Family Stadium Louisville, Kentucky
Capacity	15,304
Owner	Soccer Holdings, LLC
Chairman	John Neace
Head coach	Bev Yanez
League	National Women's Soccer League
2023	9th of 12
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors
Current season

History

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

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

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

See also: List of Racing Louisville FC players

Current squad

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

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

Staff

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

• Christy Holly (2021)
• Mario Sanchez (interim; 2021)
• Kim Björkegren (2022–2023)
• Bev Yanez (2023–present)

Record

Year-by-year

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

1. 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.

External links

• Official website