The USL W League on Tuesday unveiled Racing Louisville FC’s schedule for its pre-professional side, with Louisville set to play five home and five road matches between mid-May and late June in the league’s second year of existence.
Last year, Racing became the first W League member to complete its developmental pyramid starting from 3-year-olds to a team in the National Women’s Soccer League, widely regarded as the world’s top professional women’s soccer league. The Racing Louisville Academy runs the W League squad.
Racing will compete this year in the W League’s Valley Division, opening play at home on May 18 against cross-state foe Lexington SC. The remaining nine matches will be played through June 29 against clubs from Indiana, Missouri and Ohio.
Racing’s home W League games will be open to the public and free to attend at the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center, 801 Edith Road. Select away games may be streamed live via ElevenSports.com.
This season, the league has established four regional conferences – Central, Eastern, Southern and Western — a move that will alter the 2023 playoff structure. Racing and the rest of the Valley Division will compete in the Central Conference.
Each team will play 10-12 matches against divisional opponents over the course of the regular season. Upon the start of the playoffs, conferences will be used to regionalize matchups with player welfare in mind. More information of the W League playoffs will be released later, and fans can get the latest updates by bookmarking RacingLouFC.com/WLeague.
Racing finished the 2022 season with a 6-3-3 (21 points) record, just missing out on the playoffs. Louisville’s W League roster, comprised mainly of college players and academy standouts, saw three members of that squad selected in the most recent NWSL Draft, led by defender Emily Madril, who Orlando picked at No. 3 overall.
The W League has a goal to form the next generation of women’s soccer talent both on and off the field, enhancing the player pipeline between college and the pro ranks. It also strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity and career development.
Racing will announce its W League staff and schedule in the coming weeks. Those interested in playing on Racing’s W League team can register to attend the team’s April 30 open tryouts. Contact assistant coach Libby Stout (lstout@loucity.com) with any questions.
2023 Racing Louisville FC USL W League schedule
(Home games listed in bold with all times Eastern)
May 18: Lexington SC, 6 p.m.
May 21: St. Charles FC, 5 p.m.
May 31: Kings Hammer FC, 6 p.m.
June 2: Indy Eleven, 7 p.m.
June 6: Indy Eleven, 6 p.m.
June 11: Lexington SC, 4 p.m.
Jun 14: Kings Hammer FC, 5 p.m.
June 18: St. Charles FC, 5 p.m.
June 24: St. Charles FC, 4 p.m.
June 29: Kings Hammer FC, 7 p.m.
