Racing Louisville FC (USL W League)
{{Short description|American women's soccer club}}
{{For|the affiliated professional National Women's Soccer League team|Racing Louisville FC}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Racing Louisville FC
| image =
| upright =
| fullname = Racing Louisville Football Club
| nickname =
| founded = {{start date and age|2022|01|18}}
| stadium = Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center
Louisville, Kentucky
| capacity =
| owntitle =
| owner = Soccer Holdings, LLC
| chrtitle =
| chairman = John Neace
| mgrtitle = Head coach
| manager = Callie McKinney
| league = USL W League
| season = 2023
| position = 2nd of 8
Valley Division
| current = 2023 USL W League season
| American = true
| website = https://www.racingloufc.com/
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Racing Louisville FC is an amateur women's soccer team that plays in the USL W League. It is affiliated and shares ownership with the eponymous professional team Racing Louisville FC, which competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
History
In January 2022, NWSL club Racing Louisville FC added an amateur team to compete in the newly formed USL W League,{{cite news |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/racing-louisville-soccer-adds-pre-182218736.html |title=Racing Louisville soccer adds 'pre-professional' USL W League squad to compete this year |date=January 18, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |work=Louisville Courier Journal |first=Hayes |last=Gardner}} becoming the first NWSL club to do so. This followed the club's academy opening in 2020 and completed its developmental pathway from youth soccer to top-division professional play.{{cite news |url=https://justwomenssports.com/reads/nwsl-usl-soccer-racing-louisville-w-league-team/ |title=Racing Louisville first NWSL team to expand into USL W League |date=January 18, 2022 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=Just Women's Sports |first=Emma |last=Hruby}} The club hired an all-female technical staff to lead the team, with Kincaid Schmidt as its inaugural head coach and former NWSL player Libby Stout as assistant coach.
In the 2023 USL W League season, Racing finished in a tie on points for first place in the Valley division with eventual national championship finalists Indy Eleven with a greater goal differential, but second due to the first tiebreaker being head-to-head record and did not advance to the conference playoffs. The team's only loss and draw on its {{win-loss record|w=8|d=1|l=1}} season record were against Indy.{{cite press release |url=https://www.racingloufc.com/news/2023/06/02/racings-w-league-team-draws-indy-in-a-top-of-the-division-clash/ |title=Racing's W League team draws Indy in a top-of-the-division clash |date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=July 15, 2023 |publisher=Racing Louisville FC}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.racingloufc.com/news/2023/06/06/racings-w-league-team-suffers-first-defeat-of-the-season-to-indy-eleven/ |title=Racing's W League team suffers first defeat of the season to Indy Eleven. |date=June 6, 2023 |access-date=July 15, 2023 |publisher=Racing Louisville FC}}
Stadium
Racing Louisville FC has played its USL W League matches at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center,{{cite web |url=https://www.uslwleague.com/league-schedule |title=Schedule |publisher=USL W League |access-date=June 9, 2023}} which also serves as the parent club's training facility,{{cite web |url=https://www.loucityracingacademy.com/training-facility |title=Training Facility |publisher=Lou City/Racing Academy |access-date=June 9, 2023}} since its inception.
Players
{{see also|Category:Racing Louisville FC (USL W League) players}}
Most of Racing's W League squad are drawn from colleges and Racing's youth academy.{{cite press release |url=https://www.racingloufc.com/news/2023/02/28/mckinney-appointed-as-racings-usl-w-league-coach/ |title=Racing names McKinney as new USL W League coach |date=February 28, 2023 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |publisher=Racing Louisville FC}} The professional Racing Louisville club has signed players from its W League club, including Isabella Beletic{{cite news |url=https://www.caller.com/story/sports/soccer/2022/07/07/isabella-beletic-signs-with-racing-louisville-fc-of-nwsl/65369255007/ |title=Carroll grad Isabella Beletic signs short-term contract with Racing Louisville FC |date=July 7, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |work=Corpus Christi Caller Times |first=Len |last=Hayward}} and Allison Whitfield{{cite news |url=https://www.wlky.com/article/former-manual-uofl-teammates-reunited-racing-louisville-fc/40475240 |title=Former Manual, UofL teammates reunited at Racing Louisville FC |date=June 30, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |work=WLKY}} in 2022. Racing Academy and W League player Ella Sanchez was a non-roster invitee to the professional team's 2023 preseason.{{cite news |url=https://www.wdrb.com/sports/racing-louisville-academy-star-ballard-senior-ella-sanchez-will-soon-decide-if-to-turn-pro/article_f2f20b12-f103-11ed-9aa9-cfa6a685ac05.html |title=Racing Louisville academy star, Ballard senior Ella Sanchez will soon decide if to turn pro or play in college |date=May 12, 2023 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |work=WDRB |first=Tom |last=Lane}} Racing's Emily Madril was one of 19 W League players to sign a professional contract, with Orlando Pride, after the league's inaugural season.{{cite news |url=https://theathletic.com/4126158/2023/01/26/womens-soccer-lower-division/ |title=Lower-division women's soccer eyes international investment, raised standards |date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |publisher=The Athletic |first=Steph |last=Yang}}
Staff
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2 scope="col" | Technical |
|---|
| {{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Head coach |s={{flagdeco|USA}} Callie McKinney}}
{{Fb cs staff |bg= |p=Assistant coach |s={{flagdeco|USA}} Libby Stout}} |
= Coaching history =
- 2022: Kincaid Schmidt{{cite press release |url=https://www.racingloufc.com/news/2022/01/25/schmidt-to-lead-racings-all-female-usl-w-league-staff/ |title=Schmidt to lead Racing's all-female USL W League staff |date=January 25, 2022 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |publisher=Racing Louisville FC}}{{cite press release |url=https://www.racingloufc.com/news/2022/05/04/racing-sets-inaugural-usl-w-league-roster-with-season-nearing/ |title=Racing sets inaugural USL W League roster with season nearing |date=May 4, 2022 |access-date=June 6, 2023 |publisher=Racing Louisville FC}}
- 2023: Callie McKinney
Year-by-year
{{updated|July 1, 2023|.{{cite web |url=https://www.uslwleague.com/league-standings |title=Standings |publisher=USL W League |access-date=July 14, 2023}}}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan=2 style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | Season
! rowspan=2 style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | League ! rowspan=2 style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | Division ! colspan=9 style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="colgroup" | Regular season ! rowspan=2 style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | Playoffs |
|---|
| style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|P|Games played}}
! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|W|Wins}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|D|Draws}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|L|Losses}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|GF|Goals for}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|GA|Goals against}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|GD|Goals differential}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|Pts.|Points}} ! style="background:#B57EDC; color:white; border:2px solid black;" scope="col" | {{abbr|Pos.|Position}} |
| scope="row" | {{center|2022}}
| rowspan=2 | USL W || Great Lakes | 12 || 6||3||3 || 26||15||+11 || 21 || 3rd | Did not qualify |
| scope="row" | {{center|2023}}
| Valley | 10 || 8||1||1 || 42||4||+38 || 25 || 2nd{{efn|Tied for first on points with Indy Eleven, but lost the first tiebreaker on head-to-head record.}} | Did not qualify |
{{Notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Racing Louisville FC}}
{{USL W League}}
Category:Women's soccer clubs in the United States
Category:Soccer clubs in Louisville, Kentucky
Category:2022 establishments in Kentucky
Category:Association football clubs established in 2022