Racing Louisville FC
 | |||
| Full name | Racing Louisville Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | October 22, 2019 | ||
| Stadium | Lynn Family Stadium Louisville, Kentucky | ||
| Capacity | 15,304 | ||
| Owner | Soccer Holdings, LLC | ||
| Chairman | John Neace | ||
| Head coach | Beverly Goebel Yanez | ||
| League | National Women's Soccer League | ||
| 2023 | 9th of 12 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
Racing Louisville Football Club is a National Women's Soccer League team based in Louisville, Kentucky. It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC, which also owns Louisville City FC of the USL Championship. The expansion team was announced on October 22, 2019.
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. 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. 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.
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. The ownership group later announced in April 2020 that they would explore other names with community input after a mixed reception from fans. The club's new name, Racing Louisville FC, was officially unveiled on July 8, 2020. 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. 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.
Former Sky Blue FC head coach Christy Holly was named as Racing Louisville FC's first head coach on August 12, 2020. 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. Racing Louisville FC made their home debut on May 15, 2021, playing to a scoreless draw against Kansas City NWSL.
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. After the season, veteran Swedish coach Kim Björkegren was named as the permanent replacement. In 2022, a report from U.S. Soccer revealed that Holly had allegedly sexually abused players as coach of Racing.
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. 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.
Stadium and facilities
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. The 20-acre (8.1 ha) training facilities at Louisville Champions Park includes several practice fields and an indoor gymnasium and office complex.
Players and staff
Current squad
- As of January 23, 2024.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Katie Lund | United States |
| 2 | MF | Lauren Milliet | United States |
| 3 | DF | Arin Wright | United States |
| 4 | DF | Elli Pikkujämsä | Finland |
| 5 | DF | Ellie Jean | United States |
| 6 | MF | Jaelin Howell | 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 | MF | Yuuka Kurosaki | Japan |
| 14 | MF | Marisa DiGrande | United States |
| 15 | DF | Julia Lester | United States |
| 16 | DF | Carson Pickett | United States |
| 17 | MF | 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 | United States |
| 24 | GK | Jordyn Bloomer | United States |
| 26 | MF | Taylor Flint | United States |
| 29 | FW | Uchenna Kanu | Nigeria |
| 99 | GK | Olivia Sekany | United States |
Staff
- As of November 30, 2023
| Technical | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Beverly Goebel Yanez |
| Goalkeepers 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 | Avg. 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 | ||