# Racing Louisville FC

Racing Louisville Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Louisville, Kentucky, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It began playing in 2021 at Lynn Family Stadium. The team is owned by Soccer Holdings LLC. 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.
Racing named former NWSL MVP finalist and Best XI selection Bev Yanez as its new coach in November 2023.

## 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 March 15, 2025.
| 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 |
| 6 | DF | Ella Hase | United States |
| 7 | MF | Savannah DeMelo | United States |
| 8 | MF | Ary Borges | Brazil |
| 9 | MF | Kayla Fischer | United States |
| 11 | DF | Courtney Petersen | United States |
| 12 | DF | Allie George | United States |
| 13 | FW | Emma Sears | United States |
| 14 | MF | Marisa DiGrande | United States |
| 15 | DF | Ángela Barón | Colombia |
| 16 | FW | Janine Sonis | Canada |
| 17 | DF | Maddie Pokorny | United States |
| 19 | MF | Jordan Baggett | United States |
| 20 | MF | Katie O'Kane | United States |
| 22 | FW | Kirsten Wright | United States |
| 24 | GK | Jordyn Bloomer | United States |
| 26 | MF | Taylor Flint | United States |
| 29 | FW | Uchenna Kanu | Nigeria |
| 42 | FW | Sarah Weber | United States |
| 71 | GK | Maddy Anderson | United States |
| 88 | FW | Bethany Balcer | United States |
| 99 | GK | Olivia Sekany | United States |

#### Out on loan

| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 18 | FW | Milly Clegg (at Halifax Tides FC until December 2025) | New Zealand |
| 23 | FW | Elexa Bahr (at América de Cali until December 2025) | Colombia |
| 77 | GK | Madison White (at Dallas Trinity FC until May 2025) | United States |

### Staff

    As of February 19, 2024
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

as of November 5, 2024
| Season | League | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Challenge Cup | Average attendance | Total attendance |
| Season | League | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos | Playoffs | Challenge Cup | Average attendance | Total attendance |
| 2021 | NWSL | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 21 | 40 | -19 | 22 | 9th | Did not qualify | Group stage | 6,565 | 79,042 |
| 2022 | NWSL | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 35 | -12 | 23 | 9th | Did not qualify | Group stage | 6,048 | 66,529 |
| 2023 | NWSL | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 27 | 9th | Did not qualify | Runners-up | 5,999 | 65,989 |
| 2024 | NWSL | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 39 | -6 | 28 | 9th | Did not qualify | DNQ | 6,223 | 86,916 |
| 2025 | NWSL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| Total | Total | 94 | 23 | 31 | 40 | 102 | 138 | -36 | 100 | 9th* | no playoff Apps | ^2nd | | |
*9th = average placing
^2nd = Highest position