The United Soccer League on Monday confirmed 43 clubs will compete in the USL W League’s inaugural 2022 season, with the pre-professional circuit splitting into seven divisions comprised of teams from 20 states.
Racing Louisville FC will compete in a Great Lakes division against teams from Indiana, Ohio and Michigan as play begins in May. The full W League schedule will be announced Thursday.
“The past year has been an incredible period of growth for the women’s game and the USL W League, and we could not be more appreciative of the investment and dedication our clubs have shown to providing more opportunities for players, fans, and executives in women’s soccer,” said Betsy Haugh, USL director of women’s soccer operations.
“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate our inaugural season in more than 40 communities around the country and look forward to kicking off in May.”
Racing earlier this month became the first W League member to complete its developmental pyramid topped by a franchise from the NWSL, widely regarded as the world’s top pro women’s soccer league.
The roster is expected to include a mix of high-level youth academy performers and college standouts who could one day sign with Louisville’s NWSL side. Those interested in playing for Racing’s W League team can fill out this form to be considered.
An all-female technical staff will lead Racing with Kincaid Schmidt serving as head coach, Libby Stout as assistant coach and Kiley Polk as team administrator.
Racing Louisville is operated by the same group, Soccer Holdings, LLC, as two-time USL Championship title winner Louisville City FC. The fast-growing organization hosts senior team games at 15,304 capacity Lynn Family Stadium and plans to play W League competitions at its nearby state-of-the-art practice facility, the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center.
Racing’s home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend.
Bookmark www.racingloufc.com/racingloufc/WLeague to stay updated.
2022 USL W League Clubs
Deep South
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Tennessee Soccer Club (Franklin, Tenn.)
Peachtree City MOBA (Peachtree, Ga,)
South Carolina United Bantams (Columbia, S.C.)
South Georgia Tormenta FC (Statesboro, Ga.)
Southern Soccer Academy (Marietta, Ga.)
Great Lakes
AFC Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Detroit City FC (Detroit, Mich.)
Flint City AFC (Flint, Mich.)
Indy Eleven (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Kalamazoo FC (Kalamazoo, Mich.)
Kings Hammer FC (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Midwest United FC (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Racing Louisville FC (Louisville, Ky.)
Heartland
Chicago City SC (Chicago, Ill.)
Chicago Dutch Lions FC (Chicago, Ill.)
Green Bay Glory (Green Bay, Wis.)
Minnesota Aurora FC (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Kaw Valley FC (Lawrence, Kan.)
St. Louis Lions (St. Louis, Mo.)
Metropolitan
AC Connecticut (Newtown, Conn.)
Cedar Stars (Teaneck, N.J.)
FA Euro New York (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
Long Island Rough Riders (Long Island, N.Y.)
Manhattan SC (Manhattan, N.Y.)
Morris Elite SC (Morris County, N.J.)
Queensboro FC (Queens, N.Y.)
Westchester Flames (Westchester, N.Y.)
Mid-Atlantic — additional club(s) to be announced
Christos FC (Baltimore, Md.)
Eagle FC (Mechanicsburg, Pa.)
Northern Virginia FC (Leesburg, Va.)
Patuxent Football Athletics (Patuxent, Md.)
South Atlantic
Asheville City SC (Asheville, N.C.)
Charlotte Independence (Charlotte, N.C.)
Greenville Triumph SC (Greenville, S.C.)
North Carolina Courage U23s (Cary, N.C.)
North Carolina Fusion (Greensboro, N.C.) Wake FC (Holly Springs, N.C.)
Southeast
Caledonia SC (Lakeland, Fla.)
Florida Elite Soccer Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Miami AC (Miami, Fla.)
FC Miami City (Miami, Fla.)
Tampa Bay United (Tampa, Fla.)
