Racing Louisville FC is now half way through its inaugural season. Let’s look back at the squad’s accomplishments.
Racing Louisville has now completed 12 games in its inaugural season and has compiled a record of 4-2-6, accumulating 14 points. The second 6 game stretch of the season proved difficult for Racing, but not without some growth and some highlights.
The biggest news of the last couple of months has been the addition of Nadia Nadim. Nadia has played in 3 matches since joining Racing from PSG and has scored a goal along with creating 8 chances. With the addition of Nadim, Racing’s roster is complete for the season.
Answering Questions
Back in June, when I wrote my quarter season review, I posed 5 questions for the team, so let’s review how Racing answered each of those.
1. Can Bonner inject a little more steel into the backline?
The answer is yes, but a qualified yes. The team is still conceding too many goals and is tied for last in the league in that category. Bonner had definitely made the defense better, but Racing needs to find the right partner for her. Both Nealy Martin and Kaleigh Riehl have spent time as Gemma’s partner with Riehl getting the more recent starts. People around the team who are smarter than I am say that Addisyn Merrick’s injuries have been a real blow and that the original plan was to have her start along side Bonner. I think Merrick is still weeks away from being available, but hopefully she will return with enough time to be evaluated.
2. Will Nadim be able to make an immediate impact?
Nadia probably joined the club a little later than anticipated due to visa issues, but I think everyone would say that she has made an impact in all 3 games she has played. Her first appearance was during a 2-0 home loss vs. Washington. She came on in the 55th minute and was close to scoring. The team definitely looks more dangerous in attack with Nadim on the pitch. Her arrival has also meant that season-long starter Lauren Milliet has been used as a substitute in the last 3 matches. Milliet has played well, but is a victim of the number of quality attackers Coach Holly has in his squad. With another stretch of 3 games in 7 days, I’m sure some squad rotation will occur and we’ll see Milliet get another start soon.
3. Can Betos continue to keep up her fantastic form?
Betos hasn’t been called upon quite as much which is a good thing, but is still making fantastic saves when needed. With a few more experienced players on the pitch, she has also gotten a little more help from a leadership perspective. When your captain is the keeper, sometimes it’s a little more difficult to have her influence the match since it’s hard to get a word in to the referee from the goal area. Savannah McCaskill sometimes takes over the role of defending her teammates to the officials. She has also talked her way into a yellow card at least once. Sometimes the captain’s armband gets you a bit more leeway when talking to the referee. The addition of Bonner has made life a little easier for Betos as well.
4. Can Racing find 2 or 3 more potential attacking threats?
The bad news is that Racing only scored 7 goals in this 6 game stretch and was shut out 3 times. The good news is that 5 different players scored. McCaskill, Nagasato, Nadim, and Matthews all scored their first goals in a Racing uniform. The number of shots per match has also increased and Racing has looked dangerous in the more recent matches even when they haven’t scored. There are probably enough goals in this team, so the focus now will probably shift to defending better.
5. Do Racing have enough midfielders, or will players like Kizer and Fox play some there?
I still think Fox’s destiny is to play in midfield, but she provides so much quality from left back that it will be hard to move her. If Racing can find a suitable replacement for her at left back next season, I think she will move into midfield. Freja Olofsson is having a nice season as the one true midfielder on the team, but she needs more help. The formations that the team has used have covered up their lack of midfielders a bit, and I think McCaskill will continue to play in a midfield role. Racing could use 1 or 2 more natural midfielders and this surely will be addressed during the off-season. Kizer has shifted to the left side of attack and is comfortable there, but does drop deeper now with 2 true center forwards on the field.
Also Read: Early Louisville football preseason predictions
Questions for the Second Half of the Season
The next 6 – 7 game stretch is an interesting one. Racing Louisville plays a league match on the road against NJ/NY Gotham before playing 2 matches in the inaugural Women’s Cup competition in Louisville on August 18th and 21st (this being the extra match in this section of the season). The match on the 18th serves as a league match against Chicago as well, but the match on the 21st will be for 1st or 3rd place against either Bayern Munich or PSG. A trophy is awarded for this competition, so Racing will want to play well to give themselves a chance at silverware. In the grand scheme of things this trophy wouldn’t mean much other than to give the team the taste of winning a competition, which is never a bad thing. Racing then finishes up the next section of the season with 3 out of 4 matches on the road. Here’s what I will be looking for in the next few matches:
- Can Racing accumulate enough points to get back into the playoff race?
- Who will step up and take over the second starting CB role?
- Can the team cut down on passing errors and improve their defense?
- Has Racing settled on their true starting XI for the rest of the season?
- Will the possession numbers continue to improve?
Final Thoughts
Racing Louisville will be hosting a unique event next week in the Women’s Cup. I hope people take the opportunity to see some famous European teams during this competition. Tickets are still available. There is plenty of other entertainment to go along with the matches so check it out.
