# 2023 Racing Louisville FC season

The 2023 Racing Louisville FC season was the team's third as a professional women's soccer team. Racing played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

## Background
### Hirings

On November 23, 2022, Racing announced the hiring of former NWSL player Bev Yanez, previously of the NJ/NY Gotham FC coaching staff, as the club's top assistant coach. She replaced Louisville City FC academy director Mario Sanchez, who had served as interim head coach after the firing of head coach Christy Holly in 2021 and remained as interim assistant coach under Holly's permanent replacement Kim Björkegren.
On March 29, 2023, Racing announced the hiring of Ryan Dell, former administrator and operations manager of the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT), as Racing's first dedicated general manager. Dell was the second USWNT operations manager to become an NWSL general manager, following San Diego Wave FC's Molly Downtain.
Racing's soccer operations had previously been run by James O'Connor, president of Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville holding company Soccer Holdings, LLC, who moved to a business operations role for the parent company. The changes were made in part as a response to the 2021 NWSL abuse scandal, which included allegations from players of sexually and emotionally abusive behavior by former head coach Christy Holly. Dell reported directly to Soccer Holdings chairperson John Neace.

### Kit changes

In March 2023, Racing announced new primary kits with a houndstooth pattern that referenced Secretariat owner Penny Chenery's houndstooth jackets, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown victory.

## Stadium and facilities

Racing continued to play in Lynn Family Stadium, their full-time home since the team's inaugural season in 2021.

## Broadcasting

On April 12, Racing announced its first local broadcasting deal with local NBC affiliate WAVE, which would broadcast seven of the team's matches on its Circle TV network, promote the team, interview players, and provide game-day weather reports. The local broadcasts would carry separate feeds and feature commentary separate from the NWSL's national broadcast and streaming partners.

## Team
### Staff

    As of June 2, 2023.
style="text-align:left"|Sporting operations staff :
| General manager | Ryan Dell |
style="text-align:left"|Technical staff :
| Head coach | Kim Björkegren |
| Assistant coach | Bev Yanez |
| Goalkeeping coach | Sergio Gonzalez |
style="text-align:left"|Performance staff :
| Head of high performance | Julie Twaddle |
| Head athletic trainer | Tara Condon |

### Players

    As of July 20, 2023.
First-team roster :
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Name | Birthday (age) | Since | Previous team | Notes |
| 1 | GK | USA | Katie Lund | (1996-11-27)November 27, 1996 (aged 26) | 2021 | TCU Horned Frogs | |
| 18 | GK | USA | Hillary Beall | (1999-01-27)January 27, 1999 (aged 24) | 2022 | Michigan Wolverines | |
| 24 | GK | USA | Jordyn Bloomer | (1997-10-14)October 14, 1997 (aged 25) | 2022 | Wisconsin Badgers | |
| 99 | GK | USA | Olivia Sekany | (1998-12-29)December 29, 1998 (aged 24) | 2023 | Washington Huskies | |
| 3 | DF | USA | Zaneta Wyne | (1990-08-03)August 3, 1990 (aged 32) | 2022 | West Ham United | |
| 4 | DF | FIN | Elli Pikkujämsä | (1999-10-24)October 24, 1999 (aged 23) | 2021 | KIF Örebro DFF | INT |
| 5 | DF | USA | Paige Monaghan | (1996-11-13)November 13, 1996 (aged 26) | 2023 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | |
| 12 | DF | USA | Ella Shamburger | (2000-01-18)January 18, 2000 (aged 23) | 2023 | Vanderbilt Commodores | NTR |
| 15 | DF | USA | Julia Lester | (1998-01-16)January 16, 1998 (aged 25) | 2022 | Apollon Ladies F.C. | |
| 16 | DF | USA | Carson Pickett | (1993-09-15)September 15, 1993 (aged 29) | 2022 | North Carolina Courage | |
| 20 | DF | NZL | Abby Erceg | (1989-11-20)November 20, 1989 (aged 33) | 2022 | North Carolina Courage | |
| 25 | DF | NIR | Rebecca Holloway | (1995-08-25)August 25, 1995 (aged 27) | 2023 | Birmingham City | INT |
| 44 | DF | JAM | Satara Murray | (1993-07-01)July 1, 1993 (aged 29) | 2022 | Bristol City | |
| 2 | MF | USA | Lauren Milliet | (1996-12-01)December 1, 1996 (aged 26) | 2021 | North Carolina Courage | |
| 6 | MF | USA | Jaelin Howell | (1999-11-21)November 21, 1999 (aged 23) | 2022 | Florida State Seminoles | |
| 7 | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo | (1998-03-26)March 26, 1998 (aged 24) | 2022 | USC Trojans | |
| 8 | MF | BRA | Ary Borges | (1999-12-28)December 28, 1999 (aged 23) | 2023 | Palmeiras | INT |
| 9 | MF | USA | Kayla Fischer | (2000-01-05)January 5, 2000 (aged 23) | 2023 | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
| 17 | MF | USA | Maddie Pokorny | (1996-11-24)November 24, 1996 (aged 26) | 2023 | HB Køge | NTR |
| 19 | MF | USA | Jordan Baggett | (1996-10-28)October 28, 1996 (aged 26) | 2023 | Washington Spirit | |
| 26 | MF | USA | Taylor Aylmer | (1998-09-23)September 23, 1998 (aged 24) | 2023 | Åland United | NTR |
| 27 | MF | AUS | Alex Chidiac | (1997-04-22)April 22, 1997 (aged 25) | 2022 | Melbourne Victory FC | INT |
| 77 | MF | CHN | Wang Shuang | (1995-01-23)January 23, 1995 (aged 28) | 2022 | Wuhan Jianghan University F.C. | INT |
| | FW | USA | Riley Parker | (2000-03-31)March 31, 2000 (aged 22) | 2023 | Alabama Crimson Tide | |
| 10 | FW | DEN | Nadia Nadim | (1988-01-02)January 2, 1988 (aged 35) | 2021 | Paris Saint-Germain | INT |
| 11 | FW | RSA | Thembi Kgatlana | (1996-05-02)May 2, 1996 (aged 26) | 2022 | Atlético Madrid | INT |
| 13 | FW | BIH | Emina Ekic | (1999-06-06)June 6, 1999 (aged 23) | 2021 | Louisville Cardinals | |
| 14 | FW | USA | Jessica McDonald | (1988-02-28)February 28, 1988 (aged 35) | 2022 | North Carolina Courage | |
| 21 | FW | USA | Parker Goins | (1998-12-08)December 8, 1998 (aged 24) | 2022 | Arkansas Razorbacks | |
| 22 | FW | USA | Kirsten Davis | (1998-09-08)September 8, 1998 (aged 24) | 2021 | Texas Tech Red Raiders | |
| 29 | FW | NGA | Uchenna Kanu | (1997-06-20)June 20, 1997 (aged 25) | 2023 | Tigres UANL | INT |
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 International player
* 1 2 3 NTR: Short-term national team replacement player signing.

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss

### NWSL Challenge Cup
#### Central Division standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | T | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | KC | LOU | HOU | CHI |
| 1 | Kansas City Current | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 4 | +10 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Racing Louisville FC | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage based on ranking | 3–2 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Houston Dash | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 6 | | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | Chicago Red Stars | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 4 | | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | — |

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Stadium | H | A | H | H | A | A |
| Result | W | W | W | W | L | L |
| Position | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | 2 |

#### Knockout rounds
### Regular season
#### Regular season standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Orlando Pride | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 31 |
| 8 | Washington Spirit | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 29 | −3 | 30 |
| 9 | Racing Louisville FC | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 27 |
| 10 | Houston Dash | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 |
| 11 | Kansas City Current | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: October 15, 2023. Source: NWSLsoccer.com

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Stadium | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A |
| Result | D | D | D | L | D | L | W | W | L | D | D | W | L | D | W | D | D | W | L | L | W | L |
| Position | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 |

## Statistics

    As of matches played July 7, 2023.
style="text-align:left"|Goalscorers, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Player | Goals by competition | Goals by competition | Goals by competition | Goals by competition |
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | MF | 7 | USA | Savannah DeMelo | 5 | 3 | — | 8 |
| 2 | FW | 21 | USA | Parker Goins | 1 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 2 | DF | 5 | USA | Paige Monaghan | 3 | 0 | — | 3 |
| 4 | MF | 8 | BRA | Ary Borges | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 4 | FW | 22 | USA | Kirsten Davis | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 4 | FW | 77 | CHN | Wang Shuang | 2 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 7 | DF | 20 | NZL | Abby Erceg | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 7 | FW | 9 | USA | Kayla Fischer | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 7 | FW | 29 | NGA | Uchenna Kanu | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 7 | FW | 11 | RSA | Thembi Kgatlana | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 7 | MF | 4 | FIN | Elli Pikkujämsä | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 7 | Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 17 | 8 | — | 25 |
style="text-align:left"|Assists by player, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Player | Assists by competition | Assists by competition | Assists by competition | Assists by competition |
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | MF | 7 | USA | Savannah DeMelo | 2 | 1 | — | 3 |
| 2 | DF | 5 | USA | Paige Monaghan | 0 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 3 | MF | 19 | USA | Jordan Baggett | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 3 | MF | 8 | BRA | Ary Borges | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 3 | FW | 22 | USA | Kirsten Davis | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 3 | FW | 9 | USA | Kayla Fischer | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 3 | DF | 16 | USA | Carson Pickett | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 3 | FW | 11 | RSA | Thembi Kgatlana | 0 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 3 | DF | 2 | USA | Lauren Milliet | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 3 | FW | 77 | CHN | Wang Shuang | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 6 | 7 | — | 13 |
style="text-align:left"|Clean sheets by goalkeeper, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Player | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition | Clean sheets by competition |
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | NWSL | Cup | Playoffs | Total |
| 1 | GK | 1 | USA | Katie Lund | 5 | 2 | — | 7 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 5 | 2 | — | 7 |
style="text-align:left"|Disciplinary cards by player, per competition :
| Player | Player | Player | Player | Player | NWSL | NWSL | Cup | Cup | Playoffs | Playoffs | Total | Total |
| Rank | Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | MF | 7 | USA | Savannah DeMelo | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | MF | 8 | BRA | Ary Borges | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | MF | 6 | USA | Jaelin Howell | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | FW | 11 | RSA | Thembi Kgatlana | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | 16 | USA | Carson Pickett | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | 20 | NZL | Abby Erceg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | FW | 9 | USA | Kayla Fischer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | 25 | NIR | Rebecca Holloway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | FW | 29 | NGA | Uchenna Kanu | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | 2 | USA | Lauren Milliet | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | 4 | FIN | Elli Pikkujämsä | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | 5 | USA | Paige Monaghan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | 77 | CHN | Wang Shuang | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 25 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 |

## Awards

    As of July 5, 2023.

### NWSL monthly awards

Best XI of the Month :
| Month | Pos. | Nat. | Player |
| May | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo |
| June | DF | NZL | Abby Erceg |
| June | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo (2) |

### NWSL weekly awards

Player of the Week :
| Wk. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Won |
| 1 | GK | USA | Katie Lund | Nom. |
| 2 | MF | BRA | Ary Borges | Nom. |
| 3 | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo | Nom. |
| 7 | MF | CHN | Wang Shuang | Nom. |
| 8 | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo | Nom. |
| 12 | MF | USA | Savannah DeMelo | Nom. |
Save of the Week :
| Wk. | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Won |
| 4 | GK | USA | Katie Lund | Nom. |
| 8 | GK | USA | Katie Lund | Nom. |
| 10 | DF | USA | Carson Pickett | Nom. |

## Transactions
### Draft selections

Draft selections are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 NWSL Draft was held on January 12, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
style="text-align:left"|2023 NWSL Draft selections, by round :
| Round | Pick | Pos. | Nat. | Player | College | Status |
| 2 | 16 | FW | USA | Kayla Fischer | Ohio State University | Signed to a two-year contract on March 17, 2023. |
| 2 | 17 | DF | USA | Brianna Martinez | University of Notre Dame | Not signed, rights waived. |
| 3 | 29 | MF | USA | Jadyn Edwards | Ohio State University | Not signed, rights waived. |
| 3 | 31 | FW | USA | Riley Parker | University of Alabama | Signed to a one-year contract with an option for an additional year. |

### Contracts

style="text-align:left"|Contract expirations :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes | Ref. |
| November 15, 2022 | DF | ENG | Gemma Bonner | Contract option mutually declined. | |
| November 15, 2022 | DF | USA | Nealy Martin | Contract expired. | |
style="text-align:left"|Contract re-signings :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes |
| November 15, 2022 | GK | USA | Hillary Beall | Contract option exercised. |
| November 15, 2022 | GK | USA | Jordyn Bloomer | Contract option exercised. |
| November 15, 2022 | MF | AUS | Alex Chidiac | Contract option exercised. |
| November 15, 2022 | MF | USA | Taylor Malham | Contract option exercised. |
| November 15, 2022 | FW | USA | Emina Ekic | Contract option exercised. |
| November 15, 2022 | FW | USA | Parker Goins | Contract option exercised. |
| January 10, 2023 | MF | USA | Jaelin Howell | Signed a contract extension for a third year through 2025. |
| January 20, 2023 | GK | USA | Katie Lund | Signed a three-year contract extension. |
| February 6, 2023 | DF | USA | Paige Monaghan | Signed a three-year contract extension. |
| March 13, 2023 | DF | USA | Carson Pickett | Signed a three-year contract extension. |
style="text-align:left"|Waivers :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Notes | Ref. |
| February 18, 2023 | DF | USA | Taylor Malham | Waived. | |

### Loans

style="text-align:left"|Loans out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| September 27, 2022 | GK | USA | Hillary Beall | Western United FC | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in April. | |
| October 16, 2022 | GK | USA | Jordyn Bloomer | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in April. | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in February. |
| October 18, 2022 | FW | USA | Jessica McDonald | Western United FC | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in April. | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in February. |
| October 20, 2022 | MF | AUS | Alex Chidiac | Melbourne City FC | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in April. | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in February. |
| November 7, 2022 | FW | USA | Emina Ekic | Melbourne City FC | | Loaned through 2022–23 A-League Women season ending in February. |
| February 2, 2023 | FW | USA | Riley Parker | Tigres UANL | Loaned through 2022–23 Liga MX Femenil Clausura in June. | |

### Transfers

style="text-align:left"|Transfers in :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Former club | Fee/notes |
| December 9, 2022 | DF | FIN | Elli Pikkujämsä | KIF Örebro DFF | Signed to a two-year contract with a mutual option for a third year. |
| December 23, 2022 | MF | BRA | Ary Borges | Palmeiras | Signed to a three-year contract. |
| January 12, 2023 | DF | USA | Paige Monaghan | NJ/NY Gotham FC | Acquired with $150,000 in allocation money and an international roster slot for the 2023 season, in exchange for the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft. |
| January 23, 2023 | DF | NZL | Abby Erceg | North Carolina Courage | Acquired in exchange for Emily Fox. |
| January 23, 2023 | DF | USA | Carson Pickett | North Carolina Courage | Acquired in exchange for Emily Fox. |
| February 2, 2023 | FW | NGA | Uchenna Kanu | Tigres UANL | Acquired for a $150,000 transfer fee paid with allocation money with an additional $30,000 fee if Kanu scores 12 or more goals during the 2023 NWSL season, and signed to a two-year contract with an option for a third year. |
| April 25, 2023 | MF | USA | Jordan Baggett | Washington Spirit | Acquired in exchange for a second-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. |
| April 25, 2023 | MF | USA | Maddie Pokorny | HB Køge | Signed as a short-term national team replacement player. |
| July 20, 2023 | MF | USA | Taylor Aylmer | Åland United | Signed as a short-term national team replacement player. |
| July 20, 2023 | DF | USA | Ella Shamburger | Vanderbilt Commodores | Signed as a short-term national team replacement player. |
style="text-align:left"|Transfers out :
| Date | Pos. | Nat. | Player | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref. |
| January 23, 2023 | DF | USA | Emily Fox | North Carolina Courage | Traded in exchange for Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett. | |
| March 25, 2023 | FW | USA | Cheyna Matthews | Chicago Red Stars | Free-agent signing. | |

### Preseason trialists

| Pos. | Nat. | Player | Previous club |
| DF | USA | Abbey Burdette | University of Tennessee |
| MF | USA | Ella Sanchez | Racing Louisville FC (USL W League) |
| GK | USA | Olivia Sekany | University of Washington |
| DF | USA | Trinity Watson | Pepperdine Waves |
* ↑ Under-18 player invitee