“But it might go wrong”

Photo by Elizabeth Shaw

Match Haiku

A mild spring evening

Yields a welcome early lead.

The Spirit fight back.

“But it might go wrong”

“This is the One” - The Stone Roses, 1989

It will be a struggle for Racing to have many clean sheets this season. The team is not set up to defend for long stretches, especially against teams with the amount of attacking talent that the Spirit have. Having a new back line every match doesn’t help, but even when Racing figures out what a first choice back line looks like, I don’t believe that collectively the team can defend at the back for 90 minutes. Their style and philosophy are predicated on being tough to play against. This manifests itself most clearly when Racing presses high and disrupts things in the midfield. When their opponents have long stretches of uninterrupted possession, like the start of the second half where the Spirit had around 85% of the possession in Racing’s half, Racing tends to get penned in with no foreseeable way out. This happened a few times last season, and it looks like we may see a repeat this season. Regardless of the score, Racing needs to play every minute like the match is even or they are trailing because their best defense comes from aggression, not organization, unfortunately.

Racing found themselves with a 2-goal lead precisely because they capitalized on the things they do well. The first goal came from a decent spell of possession that resulted from the Spirit having to play a long ball to try to beat their press. The second was classic counter-attacking run from Sears. That is the winning formula for Racing against the league’s top teams. However, Racing has never been too keen on defending an early lead so the next evolution has to be that counter-possession thing that I always harp on. There were too many long clearances that came right back into Racing’s half, especially as the match wore on.

Fischer had a much better night as the central attacking threat in this match. Even if she was a bit fortunate on the goal, she was in better positions in this match. This was likely helped by Hase’s tendency to drift into central spaces and drag defenders with her. When both Hase and Sears can attract attention, it opens up the middle of the pitch for Fischer and Weber. Sears’ ability to play on both wings is a plus too. She looked more comfortable in her briefer spell on the left in this match. She had a decent shot on goal from a cut back onto her right foot, which is something that works better when she is on the left. Her similar movements on the right tend to set her up for passes or shots from tougher angles. On her breakaway goal she took every touch with her right foot. One of these days a defender might actually figure this out and start to overplay her if they can match her speed, which is much easier said than done.

Post Match Moment of the Match

After the post-match fireworks (Who are fireworks for? I didn’t see anyone who was particularly interested.), we got to speak to Bev, Jordyn and Lo. On the overall defending effort Bev said that they have to be ‘better in some of those moments” essentially to get the defensive shapes right and gain some control and respite. I pressed Bev a little about if there was anything “structurally or philosophically” that needed to be different, and she was pretty adamant that the answer was “no” and that they need to have “a bit more in us” in those moments when things are tough. There is a comforting element to her confidence and conviction, and it is still early in the season so one hopes that she is right and these little things get fixed and don’t become an epidemic.

I asked Jordyn what she was able to see on Cantore’s wonder goal. She said, “I thought I saw the ball perfectly and then as it was approaching my hands it went (makes a curving hand motion).” Fair enough. It really was one of the best goals I have ever seen live based on the swerve and the distance. Lo has been around for all of Racing’s persistent failures to close out games, so she really didn’t have anything to add other than “we have to find a way”. I guess that is why I pressed Bev on the structure and philosophy piece. It does seem to be this team’s Achilles heel.

Thing I bought at ear X-tacy back in the day

(I would have loved to have been a music journalist in the 90s in England, but unfortunately, I lived here. Therefore, I will do a little retrospective music journalism to amuse myself. I will even try to tie it to Racing or soccer in general. If you want to give it a go, contact me at admin@fleur-de-lis.fc and maybe I will use your piece. The rules are that you have to believe in good faith that you bought it at ear X-tacy, and it has to be “on-theme”. For example, don’t write about buying Nirvana’s “Nevermind” in 1993, but you can write about buying “Bleach” in 1989 or 1990. If that doesn’t make sense, maybe skip it.)

Artist:  Paul Weller       

Album:  Stanley Road

Year:  1995

Format:  CD (Import)

Store Location:  1534 Bardstown Road

The “punters” liked this album more than the critics if memory serves correctly.  It was a UK #1 for Weller, who was firmly into the third phase of his career after a hugely successful first act leading The Jam and an ambitious and underrated (but ultimately unsuccessful) second act as the leader of The Style Council.  This was his 3rd solo album and a follow up to the wildly successful (and frankly career rescuing) “Wild Wood” album.  This album was the last one he released before being dubbed “The Modfather”, but he was already working his way into the “dad rock” category. 

I was 20 when this album was released and Weller was just about to turn 37.  He was “old” for a relevant pop artist, and there aren’t too many artists who consistently produce hits after turning 35, let alone 30.  He seemed even older, probably because of his prodigious output and the reverence that people in Great Britain had and still have for him.  What I wouldn’t give to be 37 now.   This year Bev Yanez is in her 3rd season (3rd album?) as Racing’s head coach at the age of 37.  If she is fortunate, this is the beginning of a long second act as a coach after act 1 as successful player.    

The most famous song from the album today is likely Weller’s cover of Dr. John’s “I Walk on Gilded Splinters”.  I say this because it is the music used in the closing music montage for The Wire’s Season 4.  That episode, “Final Grades”, is usually thought of as The Wire’s best episode even if The Wire doesn’t really work that way.  This year, I hope a line from that song might be appropriate for the “Sunshine Assassin”.  I can see Bev smiling as she says, “see my enemy at the end of their rope”.

The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match

Racing picked up two yellow cards in the match. The first one came in the 76th minute when a frustrated Sears shoved Kouassi (who always scares the heck out of me and was the best player on the pitch in the match) just a couple of minutes after the Spirit equalized. It was Fischer-esque but Kayla has been behaving herself well recently and I want to assume that she has somewhat “reformed” herself without losing her edge. The new namesake for this section didn’t let us down by picking up a silly one on a late challenge deep into stoppage time.

The Louisville (Draft?) Kings Sports Betting Corner

(Racing’s new co-tenant at Lynn Family Stadium surely only exists to quench the thirst of those who must “have action” on sports 365 days a year. I am not a gambler, but if you are I will suggest “easy money” from time to time. Your challenge will be to see if you can actually bet on it.)

I was going to go super easy on this first one and say take the -150 on a Taylor Flint yellow card suspension this season, but what might be more fun is an over/under on combined Taylor Flint/Emily Sonnett yellow cards this season. Let’s set the over/under at 16.5 which would mean that they will be better behaved this season. I am feeling the over on this one.

“All the plans that I have made”

One point from six isn’t the best of starts, but Racing has plenty of time to get things right. Nothing has been a disaster, but there also hasn’t been too much to make you believe that a mid-table finish isn’t the ceiling. That’s fine honestly. This team isn’t built to be an NWSL Shield winner. One does wish that their fate didn’t seem to be tied to some cosmic random number generator where all 3 outcomes seem equally likely and it is just like the roll of a 3-sided die. Some of that is the league itself, but with continued expansion maybe that will lessen for the good. Before the match, I did wonder to myself how Bev’s halftime adjustments will work this season if they have a lead at half. It is not fair to judge it based on one match, but despite all logic and probability, I think it is almost better for Racing to be all square at half and try to win matches late most of the time. It allows them to exploit their strengths and hide their weaknesses. I am all for Racing “boat racing” a team in the first half 4-0, but realistically I don’t see that happening all that often.

The difficult part is that Racing isn’t a defensive oriented team in the traditional sense. Most teams that are comfortable out of possession tend to be more defensively sturdy. They aren’t particularly good when they have long spells in either half. I know that sounds horrible, but it isn’t meant to be. Racing is at their best when they are making their opponent do things they don’t want to do. This season there has been too much comfortable possession conceded, and that will have to change if Racing is serious about a top half of the table finish.

Racing 2 Spirit 2 Player Ratings

Racing jumped out to an early 2 goal lead but couldn't hold onto possession enough to see out the win. Bev will need to figure out how to see out games like this if the playoffs are to be in the cards this season.

Bloomer-7: Made a few good saves but needed better defending in front of her.

Gacioch-6: Had a decent debut, but seemed to tire at the end.

Jean-7: The team needs another defender of her quality on the team.

Petersen-6: Lost the ball in a dangerous spot in the first half and had a few nervy touches.

Milliet-7: Handled Rodman well for the most part.

Flint-6: Loaded up the stat sheet again, but hasn't hit her peak yet early in the season.

O'Kane-7: Another solid performance, but would like to see her in attack more. That is predicated on Racing having more possession though.

Fischer-8: Fantastic stuff from her, but lucky to have MacIver spill her goal.

Hase-7: Attacked more centrally that usual.

Sears-8: So, so good on the counter and had a decent effort stopped when she was out on the left and cut in on her right foot.

Weber-7: Solid effort from her.

Racing v Spirit -1

In case I didn't mention it last week, I like the new interview setup. So far the Lou City and Racing media availabilities have lined up so I can do both. It also means that I get to watch the Communications Team do the backdrop quick change. This needs to be on social media at some point. Let's get on that.

Racing is coming off of the most positive loss I can remember and the good loss vibes carried forward to today. Bev continues to like what she has seen from the team but did share that she thinks that Racing's slow start against the Courage was due to the players being too amped up and not the other way around.

Is the Spirit Racing’s true rival? Taylor Flint seems more apt to go with Portland. I am of the mind that everyone should hate everyone equally. It makes things much simpler.

I mentioned the lack of yellow cards from both players in the last match, and the contrast to how that typically played out last season. That produced some giggles and the promise to try to be better behaved, but ultimately they said that you can’t worry too much about the officials and lose your edge.

Butchertown Rundown's new-ish writer Brendan Devine tried to sneak a player health update out of Bev. LOL! Nice try rook! She is never going to give you anything useful. Believe me, I have tried and honestly it would only give aid and comfort to the enemy, so I stopped.

You never know what level of underachievement you are going to get from the Spirit, but they never seem to be quite as good a they should be. Remember when they were hilariously bad a few years ago? Let's hope for a repeat of that.

"She'll carry on through it all"

Courtesy of the NWSL

Match Haiku

Springtime in Cary

Yields a familiar result.

A Sanchez brace stings.

“She’ll carry on through it all”

“Waterfall” - The Stone Roses, 1989

Let’s be frank about who Racing Louisville is as a team. I bellyached for years about this team’s lack of a true identity. Last year they found one, and it is likely to be the one as long as Bev Yanez is the coach. They are a hard-working blue-collar team. This is appealing for many reasons, but it also implies the things that they will never be. One thing that the team is for the first time in its existence is a squad that doesn’t have a single international player. That statement is meant to be a neutral statement of fact, but it’s hard to avoid the implications. From a footballing perspective that means that their youth careers and playing experiences are likely to be somewhat consistent. Sure, there will be differences, but when you add in players from different international backgrounds it can spice things up and makes sure things don’t get too stale. The club has made a big deal of getting players that fit into Bev’s system and the overall team culture. For the circumstances that define and conform and constrict the environment in which Racing Louisville must exist, it is probably the best way to do things even if the football is a little bland at times.

However, one must live with the consequences. Bigger clubs in bigger cities will have the ability to showcase their cosmopolitan freedom and individuality as a way to win matches and achieve results. Every team plays a system. Every player plays in a system. The key is to live in balance with the system and its principles and not become a robot in it.

Matches like last night’s one in Cary are the ones that I worry about for Racing. Racing will almost always grind the other team down. Sometimes it will be enough, but last night it wasn’t. Sometimes you will have an excellent individual effort nullify all of your best laid plans and dogged determination. The key is to not lose hope and get back on the horse.

Post Match Moment of the Match

Bev as an interview subject is never going to say too much to criticize a performance. I actually don’t recall that many times after a loss where she hasn’t spoken mostly of the positives. I didn’t necessarily expect her to take the bait when I asked about the central attacking performance compared to the positives that I saw in the wings, and she didn’t really comment specifically. What I saw was a performance that relied too heavily on the outer thirds of the pitch. Depending on which side of the pitch the attack was building, the other two thirds didn’t really have to be defended at all. Sav Demelo and Ary Borges are players that can utilize the center of the pitch for creativity. I guess we will have to be patient to see what develops.

Sarah Weber and Jordyn Bloomer also spoke after the match. Bloomer was voted Player of the Match. You people need to listen to Butchertown Rundown and heed the advice that Tom Benson has given about awarding the Player of the Match to a keeper until the match is over. Also, do people not know how to count or not know the definition of a save? I think Zerboni referred to Bloomer’s save in the 63rd minute as a triple save. I think even the Racing official media made the same mistake (if not I apologize because I think it has since been corrected).

The double save was good enough, but what wasn’t good enough according to Bloomer herself, was the late goal from Sanchez that Bloomer said, “needs to be kept out of the net by myself”. I must have rewatched her positioning on the 2nd goal a dozen times and frankly I think she is being a little too hard on herself. She was in the right spot from a positioning perspective, but I think the thing that she will be critical of is her reaction time and being so rooted to the right spot that she couldn’t reach the deflection.

Were the Announcers Good?

No.

I might retire this section unless by some miracle I hear some intelligent commentary. The quality of the NWSL broadcasts in general is lacking and it is readily apparent. There is no need for me to pile on.

TV Kit Rating

The Courage’s kit was number 3 in our kit rankings but on the big screen the details simply do not read. It just looks blue. That’s what I get for saying anything remotely nice about the Courage. By the laws of probability some of the Courage fans are also likely Duke fans. Let that sentence sink in. There is only one excuse for being a Duke fan and that is only if you attended West Point with Mike Krzyzewski like my trivia teammate Jim Ruwet. That’s it. The rest of them can suck an egg.

Madchester Song to Make You Feel Better

Definitely revered in the UK and underrated in the US, the Charlatans will be making multiple appearances in the “Madchester” section this year.

“She’s a waterfall”

Thankfully, nothing much looks like it gets Bev down. She was generally pleased with the performance and to be honest so was I. In my season kickoff post I committed to not be so “doom and gloom” to start the season. I think a draw would have been a fair and good result here, but it wasn’t to be. I had another line prepared from “Waterfall” to be the title of this post, but I am sure I will get the chance to use it later on. The season was always going to be a grind and have its ups and downs. Therefore, the season will be about persistence and overcoming adversity, just like the song referenced here.

I liked the resilience of coming back to level the score at 1-1 before half. Ellie Jean seems just as good as last season and ready to lead the line as it were. Racing possesses dangerous wingers and there seems to be depth there. This team will always have a fighting chance with Bev’s ability to adjust at half and everyone is bought in (for now).

What has me worried is wing defense and central attack. Weber scored, but probably should have had another, and the goal was created out wide by Sears. It will be a long season is Fischer doesn’t immediately improve at the 10 or they don’t figure out a better option. It pains me to say this, but Milliet looked a little overmatched by Sanchez a few times and McMahon, to me at least, didn’t rise about the level of “serviceable” (she was better in attack).

This league for better or worse will always be about fine margins. When that is the case, oftentimes individual talent, skill and quality are what you need to get things done, regardless of how well-oiled and tight-knit your team is. If you look at the current roster, it is hard to see any player beyond Sears who has the ability to consistently change a match on the offensive end. That may just be the current state of things, but for now, any victory from Racing will have to come from a unified and gritty effort. The good news: that is right in Racing’s wheelhouse.

Courage 2 Racing 1 Player Ratings

Racing pulls one back in the first half and dominated huge portions of the second half but fall short when they can't make it count.

Bloomer-6: Had a fantastic double save but by her own account, should have done better on Sanchez's second.

McMahon-6: A little shaky at the start, but grew into the match.

Petersen-7: The team misses her delivery on set pieces when she doesn't play.

Jean-7: Other than one bad touch, was pretty solid

Milliet-5: Had 2 goals scored by the player she was defending. Not the best debut as captain.

Flint-6: Needed to do more to stitch things together.

O'Kane-6: Ditto for her.

Fischer-6: I like her better a center forward.

Hase-7: Was looking really dangerous and then got subbed off.

Sears-7: Oddly started on the left but looked more comfortable on the right and set up Weber's goal.

Weber-7: Scored one but probably felt like she could have had 2.

Courage v Racing -1

Welcome to my first proper post of the season! We are dangerously close to being able to talk about some actual soccer (note: posts may only contain around 25% actual soccer coverage). I am not much for reading previews, so I don’t write them. As a reminder and if by some bizarre reason you are new to this space, my “minus one” posts are really just an excuse for me to write something and make sure I don’t get my media pass revoked. My long con has now entered year 6 and expanded to getting to sit on the pitch for Lou City home matchers, weather and Racing duties permitting (Elizabeth always has to be on the pitch as the Fleur-de-lis FC official photographer: rain/sleet/snow/extreme heat/disgusting odor).

I maintain a virtual radio silence from December to February because the offseason doesn’t really interest me. I follow the signings, but that’s about it. I come out of my cave just in time for NWSL kit release day (a kit ranking post is now pretty common, but when I did my first one in 2022 it was pretty ambitious and rare. Yes, I do have a very healthy ego). I tend not to read anything beyond the press releases from the club and avoid anything with the words “offseason grade” in them like the plague. Who among us doesn’t sit down with our boss at the beginning of each year and get a performance review based on how he or she thinks we will perform in the coming year? As you process the ridiculousness of that previous sentence let me say that I don’t judge those who write and consume those types of things. There is an audience for them, it just doesn’t include me.

I assume that if you look back into the history of sports journalism (I can’t be bothered) that you will find that the concept of a “preview” and its first cousin, a “prediction” probably came about when newspapers figured out that gamblers might drop a spare nickel to get some sort of inside scoop. I don’t gamble. I am terrible at it. I never win at the track. However, I do find myself part of the “Big Preview Industry” as I regularly show up to ask questions of Racing players and coaches whenever there is “media availability”. New to Racing (and Lou City) this year is a designated interview room. This keeps everyone out of the elements when necessary. There has also been an emphasis on making sure that the consumers of the pre-match interviews can hear the questions being asked, so now you get to hear my stupid voice as I ask my dumbass questions. You’re welcome.

Lo, Emma and Bev are used to my dumbass questions, so they usually have good answers. You can listen here and here if you are interested and make your own judgements. The only piece of color that I might add this that the vibe seemed relaxed. Aren’t you glad that you came here for that type of analysis?

Of course, you cannot escape any piece of mine about the Courage without me reminding you that Cary, NC is an anonymous city in an overrated state. If Neil Tennant arrived in Cary and asked “Hay una discoteca por acqui?”, I am sure he would be greeted with a confused look, so it’s appropriate that Racing’s Disco Kits won’t be making a debut here. Also, the Courage’s stadium is an absolute dump. I am contractually obliged to say that the playing surface is nice and that it drains water quickly.

For everything we might think we know about Racing and this match at this point, we don’t actually know anything which is why sports is fun. Whatever starting 11 you are picturing in your head is surely to be wrong (not because I know anything, but because I have seen Racing’s collective fanbase be wrong so many times even when it’s a no change lineup from the previous match). Don’t worry, we’ll final have some evidence to judge come Saturday evening.

MASCOTS!

Lou City and Racing introduced mascots to members of their kid’s club Saturday morning at the Ali Center in downtown Louisville. Float and Sting come with a perfectly charming backstory and will be seen around the stadium on match days.

Personally, I think “Sting” comes across as the better designed of the pair…

but “Float” isn’t without charm either.

On a scale of Times Square Elmo to Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Mouse, I rate them about a Universal Studios Orlando Minion. However, their real spiritual forerunner is UC Santa Cruz’s Sammie the Banana Slug seen here:

Courtesy ucsc.edu

Sammie was the answer to a trivia question at a recent fundraiser where Elizabeth and I and some friends formed the “Friends”-themed trivia juggernaut “Joey Triviani” and took home first prize. Many thanks to our friend, David who was all over the college mascot category.

Not everyone will like the mascots, but then again if you don’t like them, the mascots are not for you. While not quite on the Gunnersaurus or Louie level, I am sure these two will grow on me.

I look forward to seeing them around the stadium.

The Box (2026)

If you are reading this, let me express my extreme gratitude for the time you have committed so far to reading my thoughts and ramblings over the years. If you have been with me since the beginning or met me along the way, you have probably figured out that this isn’t a traditional sports website/blog. At different points in time this site has been (or continues to be) a place to record history, provide analysis, be goofy, complain, or wax poetic about soccer and specifically Racing Louisville Football Club.

If you were with me last season, you likely saw a shift in tone and seriousness. It was definitely more esoteric, purposefully so. I drew a box around how I wanted to talk about the matches and frame them in a certain way. I like having a framework, so that will continue. Having a framework does a few things. It sets readers’ expectations, but it also offers me a challenge to fit my thoughts into a strict-ish structure, thus making sure I don’t meander or ramble. It also forces me to make connections between things that may not seem related, which is a fun writing exercise.

Butchertown Rundown’s “Mint Mix” gives fans the opportunity to pick a song based on a recent performance or activity. Subconsciously (I think), I did somewhat of the opposite last year: by having a set of potential predetermined post-match post titles (Epigraphs from the Wire) and a list of lyrics to close my analysis with (Prefab Sprout song lyrics), I made the match performance fit a reference instead of letting the performance trigger a connection. I liked the challenge of boxing myself in and writing myself out of it, so I decided to continue with a similar framework this season. I think Kaitlyn (Whiteside, the curator of the Butchertown Rundown Mint Mix) and I are good enough friends not to worry about duplicating each other or stepping on each other’s toes. Besides, using music to comment on sports long predates both of us. In fact, one of my first posts was the kind of thing that today would have likely led a Mint Mix suggestion. And I definitely stole that trope from somewhere.

Full disclosure without getting into a debate about free will: this year’s framework has been burrowing into my brain since last season. Here is some background (if you are still with me and interested).

The Second Summer of Love

I don’t pretend to know exactly how to describe “The Second Summer of Love” (SSOL). There have been books written about it if you are interested. In short, from a BBC documentary: “The dawn of acid house in 1988 was dubbed ‘the second summer of love’ but its roots lay in the techno and house clubs of Chicago and Berlin.” I have no real first-hand knowledge of it, other than a love of the byproducts of it. Even then, I only came to them a few years later, and only the peripheral ones. In a nutshell the SSOL was about dance clubs, rave culture, house music, and of course, drugs (particularly ecstasy) over a brief period in 1988 and into 1989 in England. I don’t dance. I have never been to a rave. I don’t really own much (if any) house music but do enjoy enough general dance music. I am a virtual teetotaler and have definitely never tried ecstasy.

Depending on your source, it’s hard to say for sure how much some of the most beloved British albums that came directly after this period actually had to do with the SSOL, other than being a reflection of the times. The Happy Monday’s “Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches” probably has the most street cred. New Order’s “Technique” is probably the closest to the “sounds”. The most revered is likely The Stone Roses self-titled debut. All three are great and it’s hard for me to choose between “Technique” and “The Stone Roses” for a favorite. However, for the purposes of this site I am going to choose the latter to help me frame 2026.

Bravado and Optimism

My framing for last season definitely didn’t leave much room for hope and positivity. “The Wire” continues to be my all-time favorite television show, but let’s face it: there isn’t much hope in it. At the time of choosing “The Wire” epigraphs for a framing mechanism it seemed fitting because frankly I didn’t have much, if any hope for the season. My second framing tool was the lyrics of Paddy McAloon from Prefab Sprout’s 1980s(ish) output. Those lyrics were definitely biting and pessimistic in nature, or at least the ones I confined myself to were that way. By the middle of the season, I had boxed myself in to a position where I was scrambling to find light in places that were mostly dark.

Several times last season, especially as the season moved into the home stretch, I kept thinking about “The Stone Roses”. It just kept popping into my head. It is an album full of bravado and optimism. Even if it is debatable how much impact it had on the SSOL, I don’t think any other album better captured the attitude that I associate with it. Again, I was 14 and on a different continent, so I can only imagine vibes. Anyway, for me, it is the album from that time period that I listen to the most.

It’s good to have some bravado and optimism options going into this season when I write about Racing. I don’t pretend to know how the season will go, but the flexibility to be optimistic is a welcome change.

Melancholy, Desire, and Painful Longing

Then again, let’s not kid ourselves. This is still Racing. Things are bound to go poorly at times, even if it is just the law of averages. I didn’t allow for optimism last season, but I will not make the same mistake this year by avoiding the possibility of being frustrated and disappointed at times. That is the burden of being a fan. Not that I couldn’t find some lyrical options on “The Stone Roses” to express frustration when Racing draws or loses, but having another option is probably wise. Let’s face it, most music contains at least some melancholy, desire or painful longing so I don’t have to pick something too depressing to find a good quote to use now and then. There is another piece to consider as well: “The Stone Roses” kind of belongs to everyone of a certain age and disposition. It is celebratory and meant to be listened to with other people and shared. In contrast, something designed to be listened to as a “covert operation in the bedrooms of the world” might be better when my mood is more reflective. In essence, something more personal might be needed.

My Summer of Love (1997)

As most of us are, I am a creature of habit. My college days from 1993 to 1998 were filled with several routines. Maybe rituals would be a more apt description. One of my favorite rituals was a weekly trip (at least) to ear X-Tacy. Usually this was on Thursday, as this was the usual date that the import CDs from England arrived (having been released on Monday in the UK). I could have sworn that I saved at least one of those stickers, but I couldn’t find one. Regardless, here is an image of the sticker:

If my calculations are right, I would have bought Gene’s “Drawn to the Deep End” on February 20th, 1997. Here is a picture of my well-worn copy.

By most contemporary and retrospective accounts, this album is unremarkable. It performed decently on the UK music charts, hitting number 8 at its peak and had a few Top 30 singles. Its lackluster reception was likely somewhat a symptom of “Britpop fatigue”.

But for me, it was the album I listened to before my first date with my wife Elizabeth on February 21st, 1997. And then, unbeknownst to her (until I told her the other day about this season kick-off post) it became my soundtrack for falling in love with her, but only listening to it alone, in the car, either on my way to her or from her.

A blurry pic of us, circa 1997

Therefore, it is impossible for me to be objective about this album. I doubt she would like it. You probably wouldn’t either. It is “of its time” and not “timeless” and “classic” like “The Stone Roses”. Like I mentioned in my assessment of love of Prefab Sprout in last year’s kick off post, this music is “mine”, selfishly. “Drawn to the Deep End” is full of melancholy, desire and longing, but there is also bravado and optimism in it as well. No decent album is just one mood.

Connecting it to Racing

Those are the two reference points for “the box” from which my post-match articles will be constructed and hemmed in. I will keep what I liked from last year, add in some new stuff and trim the stuff I tired of.

One of the most rewarding things about last season is that I no longer do this alone. Elizabeth helped and we expanded to cover some Lou City things (check her pics out on Instagram @PictureThisFC). Ultimately, that is why I chose the reference points I did. I moved from a solo act to a partnership.

The season Racing is likely to look magnificent and like some perfect machine operating at the peak of its powers, at times. There will be lyrics that fit that. Then, there will also be times where they will look less than perfect, even defeated. There will be lyrics for those moments as well.

For all of the off-season speculation and analysis and previews and ebbs and flows of information, we can go into the season knowing that there will be surprises, good and bad, but nobody knows anything about the future. That is why hope and optimism never die. Neither do fear nor dread. The best we can hope for is to experience it purely and make a connection with the team through our own experiences.

As for this season, the dawn is approaching. I am excited. It’s a feeling of anticipation of good things to come and maybe some biased overly syrupy optimism. It will be new, but the feeling of excitement is not new. It is comforting and fires well-worn synapses in my brain. It’s the same pathways of joy triggered when you hear a favorite song and it gets, if not quite to the chorus, maybe to a favorite line…

“Through the early morning sun, I can see her. Here she comes…”

Curtains

Photo by Elizabeth Shaw

The full color version of the photo above (in poster size) hangs in the office at my house, so you can assume that it is the picture I look at the most during workdays. It reminds me of the delayed start, horrible weather, and low expectations I had that day. However, in the picture…joy…utter joy. That wasn’t even the best game against North Carolina this year! It is moment frozen in time and Racing led 1-0 in a match that they would draw 1-1. In and of itself, it is still a great moment. It is full of hope and possibility. Again, it was a dreary day and a disappointing outcome, but in that moment, all was right with the world for the Racing players on the pitch.

Racing accomplished much this season, and you can find my piece on the State of Louisville website in a few days where I outline those accomplishments. This post is more forward looking, but I wanted to stop first and remember a special season full of special moments. The goal depicted above was the first of the season, so it is special in that way. It also secured a point, and we know that in the end every point ended up mattering.

My first post of the season declared my restated intent and ultimately allowed space for my wife Elizabeth to express herself in her wit and photography. I also set the parameters for my writing by ‘boxing myself in” basically requiring myself, however tenuously, to incorporate an epigraph from The Wire and a line or two from Paddy McAloon into my analysis of the most recent match. I could say that the original intention of this was to focus me, but in reality, it was to make me not lose interest in what I was sure was going to be a bad team and long season. As the season extended it was a challenge, but never one that I couldn’t overcome. The thing that I noticed most of all was that almost all of the epigraphs were “downers” and the lyrics I had preselected were the melancholier ones.

This was all due to expectations and those expectations were blown out of the water. I already have in my mind how this might differ next year, and I might restrict myself to a single album. I have one in mind, but I am pretty sure that there are enough dark and light elements to cover the gamut of emotions next season. I guess, my point is that I am planning for next year and I am sure Racing is too.

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Let me start again by saying that Racing is in a decent position to start the year because they have something that they really haven’t really had before: a General Manager with a coherent strategy.

I don’t spend a ton of time talking about Caitlyn Milby and that is probably due to her clear and demonstrable competence. She has done an excellent job quietly and efficiently without much fuss. She got extensions done on Racing’s most key players and Racing only has a handful of players that have been contributors this season and are out of contract (Borges and DiGrande topping that list if my data is up to date). I would like to see Ary return based on her performance at the tail end of the season. DiGrande has been reliable and would be welcome if both parties agree.

This may seem harsh, but everyone else is expendable in my opinion. I would love to have the 2021-2024 version of Bethany Balcer, but who knows if that player still exists. Other than the three I mentioned, I don’t think there is much point in extending anyone’s stay in Louisville. I think Katie Lund needs to move on and should be successful on the right team. Maddie Pokorny would be fine as a last player on a roster, but we can’t assume she came back from injury the same player she was before it.

Caitlyn Milby’s to-do list for the offseason is likely:

• At least one clinical striker: Racing’s lack of finishing was on stark display all season, but the best microcosm was the penalty shootout in the playoff match against Washington. Balcer went first and buried hers. None of the others were close. This season, Racing had seven “attackers” with more than 1000 minutes. Only Emma Sears had a “goals scored” number higher than her xG. Louisville was in the bottom 3 in the league in G-xG (goals scored minus expected goals) behind Bay and a surprisingly poor finishing Orlando team, who didn’t have a single attacker whose goals scored was higher than her xG. For anyone ruing the loss of Reilyn Turner, let me just share that she returned 5 goals on an 8.41 xG, so building a time machine for that trade doesn’t solve this particular problem.

• Center back and midfield depth: Center back depth has been an issue from day 1 with Racing and this definitely isn’t the worst shape the club has ever been in, but you would like to see your “next best” center back sitting on your bench instead of being on the pitch already. For some reason known only to Bev, Petersen found herself on the bench in the last few matches after having started most of the season. Theoretically you could look to her as a utility defender, but I think you need at least one more nominal center back on the squad that Bev can trust. Who knows what the status of DeMelo will be going forward, but if the club loses Ary and Digrande they are in deep, deep trouble in the midfield. I can’t imagine not signing a free agent or two here. I think Bev needs to figure out what she wants this midfield to be in the future because it could go all kinds of different directions at the moment.

• Roster sanity: I might lose my mind if there are 5 keepers in the team photo next season. Racing struggled to keep 3 healthy all at once, so I get it, but the goal should be to roster 3 and be done with it. The other thing that might make be lose my mind is any more matches with less than the allotted 9 players on the bench. In the playoff match, Racing once again went with 8 on the bench. There wasn’t anyone available that they could have put on the bench (maybe except for Lund, but that wouldn’t have helped). Some players definitely won’t be back. I want insult them or your intelligence because you know who they are. They were too many unproductive players on the roster this season, and that cannot continue to be the case going forward if Racing is serious about making the next step.

There are a few other things that Racing needs to sort out on the tactical side. The first one is the ability to convert defending into possession when it is prudent. This season Racing was decent on counters and was always looking to score quickly once they obtained possession. I don’t disagree with that. However, in key points in matches they need to figure out a way to keep possession for possession’s sake. Too many times, late in matches Racing was either unwilling or incapable of managing possession in their own half to try to move forward, especially with a lead. We have all seen teams settle into a shell for the last 10 minutes of a match and that is just how things are done. I do see other teams at least try to work the ball out of danger instead of consistently playing it long to nobody only to see it return to danger immediately. Several matches jump to mind but the Gotham away match is fresh in mine. Racing may not ever be a team that scores by playing through their opponent, nor do I think they should try to. However, in some cases, simply having the ball at your feet for a few seconds is enough to pick out the next pass and try to relieve some of the pressure.

I also think Racing is lacking in the number of technical staff that they employ. Carm Moscato left in the middle of the season and almost immediately Racing’s attacking prowess suffered. They recovered some of it at the end of the season, but there was definitely a dip right after she left. Racing’s main staff is effective, but I think they could definitely do with an additional staff member to go along with Carm’s replacement.

I think the biggest challenge will be avoid settling for what worked this season. Every other team will look to improve and if Racing doesn’t get better, expect them to finish lower than they did this season. Weber and Fischer are serviceable center forwards. That doesn’t mean that their jobs should be safe or comfortable. Taylor Flint should have someone breathing down her neck that wants her starting job so bad she can taste it. Emma Sears should come into training camp with a target to score 5 left-footed goals next season. Hase and O’Kane should be fighting for every minute that they get and consider themselves fortunate if they get the minutes that the got this season. Arin Wright and Janine Sonis should be losing sleep over the players pushing them for their spots. Nobody should be comfortable going into next season. The period of moderate expectations ended in Washington.

“Deserve got nuthin’ to do with it”

Courtesy Connor Cunningham

Stolen The Wire Epigraph

"Deserve got nuthin' to do with it."

For those of you who haven’t seen The Wire, it is a show about a haute cuisine chef who takes over the family business…selling heroin outside of a sandwich shop.

I use this particular quote from The Wire quite a bit. Probably more than anyone wants me to. This time I want to expand it, paraphrase the sentiment, and soften it to a degree: An outcome isn't necessarily a reflection on what you deserve, it's just your time to experience it.

Racing did almost nothing wrong in its match against Washington, but that didn’t change the outcome. It shouldn't cheapen the result, nor should it make it easier to digest. Somebody has to win, and somebody has to lose in playoff matches. It's a cruel fate to let a match go to penalties, but what other option is there?

Every team bar one gets eliminated in a season. It was just Racing’s time. Depending on your perspective there may be no solace in that or there may be plenty of it. The fact that Racing came up just short seems right. It seems to sum up the season perfectly.

Racing found itself level at the end of the first half of regular time, the end of regular time, the first half of extra time, and at the end of extra time. If that didn’t prove that Racing was exactly where they belonged, I don’t know how to convince you otherwise.

It wasn’t Racing’s best performance of the season, nor near its worst, but maybe it was the one in which all of us could be the proudest. It was a “never quit” performance. It wasn’t one that showed a ton of “fighting back” because it was one where they were the better team for noticeable stretches.

For the longest of times, Racing has been dealing with being not quite good enough when the margins are at their finest. In this case however, the margins where barely there (they still exist and I will get there when I close the curtains on the season in a future post). They belonged in the playoffs, and they belong in the playoffs in the future. They may not always get there, but now we know the possibility exists.

Post Match Moment of the Match

Arin Wright was emotional and proud of the team and the effort. “Deserve” came up as it always does when you play well, but you all know my feelings on that. She also added that this was the beginning of something. I hope that's true. It feels like it is true. She then mentioned that this was the season the Racing found its identity. I feel like that is true too. In her words, “we found what made us, us.”

Janine Sonis was also proud of the fight from the team and I think we all can get behind that sentiment.

Coach Bev echoed the sentiments of disappointment, sadness, but ultimately pride in the team's effort in the match and the season.

This section of my post-match wrap up pieces has essentially become a recap of the post-match media availability, and I have been lazy about picking out my “favorite” part. This time it was pretty easy. I got to say this to Bev:

“I don’t think anybody considers this season for Racing anything other than a massive success.”

She smiled and said, “thank you for saying it in that manner.”

Excuse my vanity…more on that later.

Were the Announcers Good?

Kate Scott and Lori Lindsey were on the call. They found a good balance calling the match and while Racing fans might generally disagree with their assessment that Washington were the clear favorites and that Racing ultimately was playing with house money, that is how the neutral observer would have seen it too. When it went to penalties, they were still pushing the narrative that Racing “had nothing to lose.” I don't think that is ever true in a match that goes to penalties, but I get what they were trying to say.

TV Kit Rating

One of the reasons I don’t like Racing’s green kits was evident in this match. In the shade they essentially disappeared which isn’t a great viewing experience. NO MORE DARK GREENS KITS AFTER THIS ONE PLEASE!

I am a fan of Washington's highlighter kits. They are the best kit that the Spirit has worn in a long time. From my kit rating piece:

“I have hated every other Washington jersey that I have ranked, but I love this one. It was my top choice, but that’s democracy for you. Many people despise yellow and yellow jerseys. I love them. I like the mix of greens and yellow. I hope Washington sticks with yellow on future kit releases.”

I will stick with that assessment. 8/10

The Kayla Fischer Honorary Yellow Card of the Match (brought to you by Taylor Flint)

This was a well-played match and a fairly played one. Borges picked up a card late but rode it out through extra time. If was a well officiated match and a good representation of the quality of football in the NWSL.

“Sentimental is part of the deal”

“Wild Horses”/Jordan: The Comeback/1990”

I don’t know how much I will remember this match in a year. If Racing goes on to do bigger and better things this match will be a footnote. Kayla Fischer scored a goal that meant so much until it meant nothing. It is a shame, but the only way to get over it is to score more and make them count for more. Players will probably be retaking their missed penalties in their dreams for weeks, but I hope they come to some sort of peace with it. Washington was just slightly better because they were much more experienced.

When you watch sports for long enough, you will have favorite seasons and teams. If you are an “experience over results” person, sometimes that means that you recall teams fondly even if they don’t win anything shiny. I can recall several teams that I remember more fondly than “better” teams that won trophies or championships. I won’t bore you with an extensive list, but in general I think everyone likes teams that are “good when they aren’t supposed to be” or “ahead of schedule” at building something. I will always treasure the 2021 version of Racing. They were the first. There was a lot to hate about that season because of what happened off the pitch, but there was also a lot of bravery in it. This team will also be right up there among my favorites. There was a lot of difficulty in this season too, but many, many bright spots. I just hope the memories don’t dull as much as they always tend to do.

This is site is an unapologetic vanity project. I think that is crystal clear. If it wasn’t fun I wouldn’t do it. If it was objective, I wouldn’t do it. This year I realized that it was richer to share it with Elizabeth and I want to thank her for her contributions which include more than the readers will ever know.

This site can now remind me when I forget, but I hope I never forget this season.

Spirit 1 (3) Racing 1 (1) Player Ratings

Racing fought valiantly, but just didn't have enough in the tank at the end. Next season the expectations will be raised, but this will only be a temporary disappointment for a really good season for this team.

Bloomer-7: Kept Racing in a couple of times, but painfully watched as Washington buried their near perfect penalties.

Sonis-7: Great effort from her today.

Wright-7: Had a few key blocks.

Jean-6: Probably needed to be a little stronger on the header for the goal, but otherwise solid.

Milliet-7: Had a half decent chance on goal and ran her legs off.

Flint-6: Really off her game in the first half, but recovered to have a decent match.

Borges-8: Really active but finally ran out of gas by the end.

O'Kane-7: Applied really good pressure especially early.

Hase-7: Found herself in good positions several times.

Sears-7: Almost scored at the end of regular time.

Weber-6: Had a good clearance off the line, but not involved other than that.

Fischer-8: Great instinctual finish on the goal.

Spirit v RLFC -1 (Playoffs)

Racing gets a big game on big CBS at noon on Saturday. Avoiding Kansas City is a bonus, but Washington will pose their own puzzles to solve. Louisville almost pulled off 3 points earlier in the season at Audi Field and depending on your perspective in that match, they were either unfortunate to drop points or extremely fortunate to have been leading 2-1 in the final minutes.

Players like Sonis and Wright will bring the playoff credentials, but Janine mentioned in the pre match media availability, “all of our young players have gotten so much experience,” then added, “I think there is a piece of inexperience that is actually an advantage in these types of situations,” stating that the less experienced players might not feel the pressure that more experienced players might feel. On her season as a whole she said, “I have just loved playing for this team this season. I fully expect us to play for another three weeks.”

When asked if she expected to make 26 appearances for a playoff team in her rookie season Katie O'Kane simply stated, “No” and laughed. She then added that she it was something that she hoped for, but was really just focused on making the team at the beginning of the year. She has taken each step one at a time, first getting substantial minutes, then earning a regular starting spot.

This team’s “one match at a time” mentality will serve them well in the playoffs. It's hard to picture any team taking Racing for granted, but Washington could be thinking ahead, as anything other than a finals appearance would be a disappointment for them.

“The Life of Kings”

Photo by Elizabeth Shaw

Stolen The Wire Epigraph

"...the life of kings."

For those of you who haven’t seen The Wire, it is just like “Cheers” but in an abandoned row house with Bubbles playing the role of “Norm”.

“I go into the 2025 with the absolute lowest of expectations. I can’t envision how this team will be good. They may be competitive. If they do turn out to be decent, it will be counter to most of the previous evidence.”

-Me, here

“I expect a regression back to Racing 1.0 or Racing 2.0 defensively. I am not sure who is going to ‘lead the line’”.

“The club could be feeling really good about this season, and I imagine that most clubs do in their own protective bubbles and echo chambers. I just wish I had something to go on other than 4 years of failure. There hasn’t been enough positive change in the offseason to offset even the losses that needed to come.”

-Me, here

“I thought Racing had a chance to win, but in my heart, I didn’t believe it.”

“I think Racing is a dinosaur set for extinction. They have always moved too slowly or not had the right pieces.”

And this last one really stings…

“I don’t think Bev will turn things around.”

-Me, here

I have always said that I don’t have any emotional capital invested in by “being right”. I am so glad to have been wrong on so many things.

In a world where people double down and go into their echo chambers, nobody likes to openly admit that their opinions are wrong and definitely there is a bizarre resistance to “change your mind” on much of anything. I changed my mind here, here but mostly here.

Is it odd to be so emotional about something to which you didn’t really personally contribute?

Bev turned things around. The whole team did, but with her at the helm of the ship.

The last few weeks made things nervier than I wanted them to be, but the end result ended up being so much sweeter. I promised myself not to check the score of the North Carolina match. I checked the score of the North Carolina match several times. Gotham FA’ed and my guess is that they are about to experience FO part in Kansas City next weekend.

The match itself, objectively, wasn’t a thing a beauty, but we don’t care. Bay offered next to nothing going forward. Their only real threats seemed to come from isolated attacks, mostly from Bay’s wing players. I really thought that Bay would fold with an early goal, but without Racing finding one, they did put up a fight defensively and North Carolina fans should not complain about Bay’s defensive effort. They were just a bad team playing out their last match with dignity.

Racing only needed a single moment of magic and Hase scored a goal that everyone will remember. It feels like her first goal has been coming for a while, so this was the absolute best time to get it. It will surely be a special memory for her.

This whole season will be a special memory to me. It has been the most fun season to write about and to observe.

I will paraphrase HL Mencken here: I find myself more and more convinced that I had more fun writing about this team than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings.

Post Match Moment of the Match

There could be hundreds, but the joyful walk around the stadium was my favorite moment after the match. It’s traditional for a reason. It is quite good when the season ends on a positive note.

Lo Milliet seemed to be the most emotional player in the time after the whistle. It’s hard to imagine that this win means any more to one single person than her. She praised the defensive performance and said that the defense had really performed well all season. When asked if she was tempted to peek at the score of the North Carolina match at half she said that the players kept their phones put away.

Bev on the other hand was aware somewhat of the score of the other crucial match at halftime. She said that she felt that she had to be for tactical reasons. I don’t think she shared the score with anyone. Bev was so clearly happy after the match, and Racing will do well to hang onto her after the job she has done this season. She trusted her process and by not making the game bigger than it needed to be by focusing on one match at a time, she ultimately got the job done. She always defers credit. She deserves a huge credit. She pointed to the home loss to San Diego as the point at which their season changed. “We’re too special…we had some tough conversations as a group but we ultimately wanted the success for each other.”

Ella Hase was the hero but was deferential in her comments saying that she was “prouder of the performance we had after the goal” and “Katie, my girl, played a really, really good ball” and that we should be interviewing Katie. That’s silly. Hase had a fantastic match all of the pitch. She also got hilariously distracted by her boyfriend during the interview. Maybe that was my second favorite moment.

JBS versus noses in LFS

Somebody has to make the bacon and the sausage. Due to the short notice of the match start time, JBS seemed to be doing a little bit of processing. Mercifully, the “eau de Butchertown” only wafted for a few moments prior to kickoff and then after the match. I wonder whose role it is to make sure that things are coordinated. Do they have a backup? Please tell me that both JBS and Soccer Holdings have roles with outlined job responsibilities that say something like “serves as Vice Stench Reduction Coordinator when the Head of Stench Reduction Coordination is unavailable.”

Did the stadium have good food?

To nobody’s regret, this bit will be retired going forward. The mini cheesecake bites were the highlight. I always like a good French Onion dip as well. The “sausage” of the night appeared to be chorizo, of which I am evidently not a fan of in link form. The fruit salad was hilarious being comprised of only blackberries (the king of all berries) and cantaloupe (trash fruit incarnate). The dichotomy was striking. I was greatly appreciative of the hot chocolate and the coffee. I run cold by nature.

Rando of the match

Nobody enjoys hearing about “first world problems” but one of the reasons that Elizabeth and I will be moving to different seats next season is that people tend to hang out in the loge boxes whether or not they buy tickets. I don’t mind so much except more than once I have had to kick people out of our box (including an unnamed local media personality who was very gracious about it). At one match earlier in the season a very nice young man invited himself into the box and talked Elizabeth’s ear off. That was fine (her opinion may vary on that). On this night however, there was a rando guy who was sitting in the box next to us and talking loudly throughout the first 30 minutes. He was barking out such helpful advice as “play defense” when Racing was in firm possession. Someone called security on him (not us) because they sent a security guard to “check our tickets”. The guard then went to the next box and checked the loud guy who was obviously not supposed to be there. Minutes later a crew escorted him out of the box. He was back in the second half standing outside of the box (which is permitted) and was much less raucous. Anyway, my tip for box squatters next season: be discrete and don’t call attention to yourself. You will make out just fine. Maybe also don’t stand in a box if someone else is sitting in it. It amazes me how many people feel comfortable doing that without asking.

The Kayla Fischer Honorary Yellow Card of the Match (brought to you by Taylor Flint)

If I keep a similar format next season I WILL be keeping this section. It will likely be renamed to fully honor Flint and her league-leading discipline record. She hit double digits by picking up a yellow for a tactical foul in the 57th minute which I honestly didn’t even remember. The only card for Racing for a bad foul was the one the one that Ary picked up which was labeled as a “Reckless Offence” according to Opta. Wright’s was also labeled as such by Opta, but that seems a stretch. Bloomer pickup up a tasty one for “Time Wasting” (correct and labeled in the traditional manner). Lema for Bay picked up one after that for an “Argument” (I prefer the traditional label “Dissent” for this).

Lightning-in-a-Bottle-O-Meter

Whenever Racing wins a match, I will rate how much of it was down to catching lightning in a bottle versus Racing just doing the things they do well.

This is another section I expect to retire for next season. I expected Racing’s wins to come few and far between and when they have won this season, they haven’t been “lucky”. On this occasion once again, the only bit of fortune that Racing received is that they played a bad team. Bay haven’t been great all year but did outplay Racing in the reverse fixture. In this match, Racing dictated play and took the match to Bay. None of Bay’s shot were on target, but there were only six to begin with. With the team looking to do bigger and better things, the fact the Racing has now finally beaten every other team in the league (until next season when Boston and Denver join) becomes a footnote. 1/5

“If you’ve never been nowhere, don’t you pay that no mind.”

“Machine Gun Ibiza”/Jordan: The Comeback/1990

I don’t know if we will ever know how expectations played into the story of the season, but they will for sure next season. If you’ve never been nowhere, nobody expects you to be anywhere. Now Racing is in the playoffs, and likely are the draw nobody wanted. There has to be a nagging feeling in the back of the mind of any future opponent of Racing in this year’s playoffs: You cannot let things go to penalties. Bloomer has at least one save in her, maybe two if you do. Racing will want to win their first playoff match, but honestly, they are playing with house money the rest of the way regardless of what the coaches and players may say. Washington isn’t a bad draw for Racing, so maybe there will be more destinations in the future.

Let me speak once again on the collective success of the club this season: “Black wand, white magic, nitroglycerin”

• Black Wand - You need players to get anything done. You need the right players, and you need them bought in. Just like a stage magician, Bev waved her wand and then: pledge, turn, prestige (the three acts of a magic trick). However, the players did the work. Sears needed to score double digit goals and did so. The rookies needed to not be rookies for long, and they never seemed like they were. The defense had to work. It did. “All the pieces matter” is my motto, and this season showed how much,

• White Magic - It is the benevolent counterpart of malicious black magic. It’s selfless. Has there ever been a more selfless coach than Bev Yanez? She has preached her principles without making it about her. Make no mistake though. It was magic. There was no previous evidence that these types of performances were possible with this group. Last season’s performances were not necessarily bad or underwhelming, but they sure weren’t this. Bev doesn’t seem like the type of person who gets caught up in awards or junk like that. This season’s achievement is its own reward.

• Nitroglycerin - Isn’t it funny how it is explosive and healing at the same time. Jordan Bloomer has been this team’s nitroglycerin this season. The change in the team has been noticeable. It made it okay for the rest of the team to adopt her personality a little bit. Individuals can be fiery in and of themselves, but Racing never seemed like a fiery team until she took over. I often malign goalkeepers as interchangeable and not as pivotal as the outfield players, but to this team it has been the most important change.

I learned a lot by being wrong this year. I think that is my takeaway and advice. Don’t be afraid to be wrong, admit it, and move forward. You will enjoy yourself much more when you do.

Racing 1 Bay 0 Player Ratings

I was so excited, that I kind of forgot I usually do Player Ratings right after the final whistle. I apologize for the lateness. Racing did the job that needed to be done and because Gotham are hilariously unpredictable, find themselves with a 7th place finish and a playoff appearance.

Bloomer-6: Her rating is not meant to be an indictment on her, just indicative of how little she had to do because Bay provided nothing in attack.

Sonis-7: Always seemed to be where she needed to be.

Wright-7: Had the odd run forward and had to be careful after picking up an early yellow when Lema beat her for pace.

Jean-8: Untroubled and snuffed out anything remotely dangerous.

Milliet-7: Typical energetic and confident performance from Lo. Looks to be getting her connection with Sears back up to where it was earlier in the season.

Flint-8: Bay had zero answers for her defending in the box.

Borges-7: Other than one bad touch that almost gave Bay a promising break, everything she seemed to do came off well and pushed Racing forward.

O'Kane-8: Hase commented after the match that Katie’s pass to send her through was terrific and better than the goal she herself scored.

Hase-9: That is maybe a fair assessment aesthetically, but for what it ultimately meant for the club, her first goal couldn’t be more memorable.

Sears-7: Troubled Bay all evening, but couldn’t quite find a finishing touch or an incisive enough pass.

Fischer-7: A real nuisance to Bay in the first half.

RLFC v Bay FC -1

Win and they’re in…that’s the marching orders for Sunday. Despite multiple chances to take the drama out of the last day, Racing is leaving it as late as possible to secure its first ever playoff appearance. The opponent across the pitch will be Bay FC who will have nothing to play for except to ruin Louisville’s season. Bay has a lame duck head coach, and their form has been abysmal. You can throw all of that out the window because nothing sends bad teams home happier than ruining another team’s season.

Racing will be looking to get out to a fast start. In recent home matches Racing has not been able to turn dangerous early chances into goals. That will be the plan for Sunday. Bay will likely fold if Racing can jump on them early. That is easier said than done, however. The most important thing for Racing will be to stick to its principles and play with concentration and focus.

All of the things that Bev has had the team focus on this season will come together and decide if their fortunes. In her pre match interview Bev stated that “flexibility” was one of the areas of focus for the season, but that she didn’t picture the team needing to be this flexible. Arin Wright joked about not knowing who North Carolina was when asked if she was worried about them ruining Racing’s hopes. Racing should do us all a favor and let us keep our phones tucked away safely for this match.

I remained unconvinced that international form means much in club football, but in this case one would like to hope that Sears has a few more goals in her (although I am pretty sure that even Bay will put up more of a fight than the New Zealand international team did). It would be fitting if it is Sears that carries Racing to the playoffs. She has been the best offensive player for Racing this season and Racing have to score to secure the playoffs on their own. Let’s hope the goals for Racing score early and often and turn the last few minutes into a party.

"Don't worry kid, you're still on the clock."

Courtesy of LCC

Stolen The Wire Epigraph

“Don't worry kid, you're still on the clock."

For those of you who haven’t seen The Wire, it is a show about a guy in an inflatable frog suit who terrorizes the local law enforcement.

This match was somewhat of a microcosm of Racing’s season. Start fast but ultimately get nothing from it, fight back hard and get everyone’s hopes up, then bungle it in the end but not bad enough to lose hope completely. Now, if Racing makes the playoffs, it will be in the “barely made it” category. I think most of the fan base was somewhat expecting that to be the case, but this team has had every opportunity to take the drama out of the final match and just can’t seem to do it.

Retrospect always gives better analysis, but with 15 minutes left I was surprised how defensive Racing set up. I get wanting to protect a lead, but I think Racing has proven that they can’t really protect a lead like this against a good team for this long of a period. Shift the decision forward 8-10 minutes and go into your shell at the 83rd or 85th minute and I think I can get on board. The 75th minute is just too early. Obligatory Arsenal aside: my beloved Gunners (men) might just win every match this way this season and win big things doing so but they have, when healthy, the best back line in the world (line up in the comments sections to fight me on this). Jose Mourinho’s teams frequently got accused of parking the bus, but they did know how to do it effectively. I guess my point it that setting up to defend in this manner takes world-class players and a mentality to commit to it. You can’t park the bus when you have players trying to be heroes. You do it as a unit with a plan, or not at all.

Of course, Racing was going to set up in this manner in the final minutes, but it seemed to be a plan without a decent way to counter. To my eyes, it didn’t appear all that organized like it did against San Diego and Angel City. It was definitely not as disciplined. It’s a real shame because is stole a terrific moment away from Sarah Weber. She looks to have a really good shot at being a solid up-front option for Racing.

Racing lives through its press. For some reason it just isn’t willing to die with it. That baffles me. For all of Bev’s and the players’ talk of focusing on their gameplan and on what they do well, they do seem to abandon it with a lead. Everyone knows why, but I don’t think this team is good enough defensively to consistently win matches in the last 15 minutes going into a complete protective shell. We have all seen the number of dropped points in those situations. It’s a “next season” problem to solve, but for now I don’t think Racing should ever take the foot off of the gas with a one-goal lead.

One thing that did strike me in retrospect was the decision to leave Petersen on the bench. Why not commit fully to going defensive and substitute Weber off for her?

However, the team is still on the clock and needs to figure out any possible way to win against Bay. They do have a bit of good fortune in that Gotham will surely want to beat or draw North Carolina and avoid KC. It was a bad weekend for Racing, but not a disastrous one, so they are still in the driver’s seat and at the beginning of the season, I would have taken this deal in a heartbeat.

Post Match Moment of the Match

Bev pretty much jumped in right away to defend the decision to sit back so deeply in the last 15 minutes. “Absolutely, there is not even a second thought about that. You’re closing out a match away.” I asked a follow up about how the players didn’t seem to be set up to transition out of that formation and get some possession. I didn’t get a sense from Bev that she thought that there was anything different in the set up that she would have changed. I will he honest, I hated that answer. It was the one I expected though.

Janine however did give a better explanation tactically for the shift. According to her, Gotham’s midfield is flexible and they do tend to drop players deeper from time to time (Howell being the obvious one here) or out to the sides. That meant Racing felt comfortable to shift Flint into the backline earlier. Gotham’s front three were playing a little narrower, so an extra central defender was prudent, giving the fullbacks the ability to defend wider. That’s a really good two thirds of a plan. You expect your forwards to keep up pressure, but multiple times when Fischer, Weber and Sears got touches, there wasn’t even a thought to try to hold the ball, if only to give the back line a chance to step forward and get out of the last quarter of the pitch for a few seconds of relief. Teams that deploy this strategy well don’t always get counter attacking opportunities, but they do at least make the midfielders expend some energy to win back the ball from attackers and disrupt the flow of attack. A team built on rhythm as much as Gotham is surely going to find a way to get good chances, especially if their defenders don’t have to expend any defensive energy worrying about a counter.

Weber said that she “trusted the technique” on her instinctual finish that gave Racing the lead. I think we now can see the type of striker she is going to be, and it is one that complements Sears well. Next season I would like to see her get some tap ins from follow ups on shots from distance. When she doesn’t have to dwell on the finish, she is quite good. I think the rest of the finishing will come with a few more goals to lift her confidence. Weber did admit that she could have done better to step into the pocket to receive some of Racing’s clearances in the last 15 minutes, but I don’t recall any clearance having any attacking purpose behind it other than just hopefulness. Weber did say that the set up was trying to exploit Gotham’s high line, but because the attackers were not getting pressure on the midfielders, I personally don’t think that was ever going to work because Gotham consistently had 3 defenders back to cover that danger.

Were the Announcers Good?

JP Dellacamera and Jill Loyden were on the call.

What did Janine Sonis do to these two? Loyden called her Beckie, an honest mistake, but come on you’ve had all season. JP got the pronunciation of Sonis right a few times at the beginning when Jill caught herself and switched back to Janine’s married name but then slipped right back into “So-niece” early in the first half. He must just have a mental block on that one. Retire.

I had a slight chuckle at Loyden’s reference to Racing players as “physically robust”. I think I got what she was trying to say, but definitely enjoyed that phrasing.

Then Jill just openly kind of admitted what I think the general consensus is among the league and fans. They prefer Racing getting that final spot versus North Carolina. It’s honestly best for the league if Racing makes the playoffs. That doesn’t change the facts on the ground, but at least to Jill, Racing is the sentimental favorite. Or maybe just for this broadcast. She did know which set of fans were watching.

TV Kit Rating

Racing and Gotham went with their 2024 primary kits in this match. In my 2024 rankings I had Racing at 6th place and Gotham at 5th although at the time I wasn’t that crazy about either of them. You’ve got to respect Gotham’s commitment to a two-tone color scheme. You turn on a match, and you immediately know it’s Gotham. I like that. I definitely prefer the 2024 iteration to the 2025 version. By the way, I missed that Red Bull arena (which I guess wasn’t technically on a naming rights deal because their entire sporting enterprise exists to sell caffeine to the over caffeinated) changed its name to Sports Illustrated Stadium. I struggle to see how SI is relevant in today’s world, but whatever. The group that owns SI also owns the image and likeness rights to Muhamad Ali, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. So, you know, a real blue-collar enterprise. Anyway, the jersey is alright. 7/10

The Kayla Fischer Honorary Yellow Card of the Match (brought to you once again by Taylor Flint)

The Friday leading up the match, Paul Miles asked Taylor Flint a question I was too chicken to ask her. He basically asked her if she needed to “dial it back” coming off of suspension. She basically said that she “turns it up a notch” partially joking but added that she was going to play her game regardless. At the time it made me think of this:

Not so funny now.

The foul she committed was reckless and unnecessary. To my eyes, she looked to be trying to win the match on her own in that situation. A clearance there would have been good, but Racing’s goal wasn’t under any more immediate danger when she committed that foul than it had been in the previous five minutes. Her recklessness allowed Gotham to put the ball at the foot of the one player as a Racing fan you absolutely do not want to see have a chance: Rose Lavelle. I saw someone comment that “parking the bus doesn’t” work. We can debate that, but what definitely doesn’t work is having the driver of the bus come out and assault a pedestrian with a tire iron. The bus has to work as a unit, thus the metaphor. Flint tried a little hero ball, and it cost Racing two points in my opinion.

However, if I am interpreting the rules correctly, a yellow card in the last match does not carry over into the playoffs.

“Any Suspensions for yellow card accumulation earned in a Player or Team Staff’s last Regular Season Game will not carry over into Playoff Games; however, the applicable fine will be collected in the 2025 season. All Players and Team Staff will start the Playoff Games with a zero yellow card total. “

So, rest easy, Racing fans. Don’t rest so easy, Taylor Flint’s wallet.

“Infinities of dreams imploding into one”

“The Ice Maiden”/Jordan: The Comeback/1990”

Now there is only one guaranteed way forward. Racing needs to beat Bay. Here are the point totals that Racing has accumulated against every team based on their current position.

• KC-0

• WAS-1

• ORL-4

• SEA-0

• SD-3

• POR-1

• Gotham-4

• NC-4

• HOU-4

• AC-6

• UT-3

• BAY-0

• CHI-4

The ones that stick out to me are the 0 against the Reign, the 1 against the Thorns, and the 0 against Bay. Match by match you can quibble with results, but Seattle and Portland at the ones where I think you need to be in the 2-3 point range. To salvage the season, they need to get 3 points against Bay at home. Racing has 3 losses in its 3 matches against Bay and if my memory serves, they came on 3 pretty lackluster performances.

Of course, now we have a cursed international break. International Friendly is code for “pointless chance for a player to get unnecessarily injured”. Racing sends key players away to hopefully return in one piece. Upon a healthy return (fingers crossed) they will be faced with the third consecutive “most important match is Racing’s history”. It’s good for drama and terrible for Racing fans’ health.

You can spend the next two week searching the past for two dropped points in the list above, or you can concentrate on bringing a positive attitude to Lynn Family Stadium on Nov 2nd at either 3pm or 5pm. The stadium will likely be nervy, but a good and large crowd always helps. It’s the one thing you can control as a fan.

Gotham 2 Racing 2 Player Ratings

Racing went too defensive too early and paid the price. Their playoff hopes will now go down to the final day.

Bloomer-7: Make some good stops in the first half to keep Racing within striking distance.

Sonis-7: Nice goal, but got beaten by Purce consistently.

Wright-6: A couple of questionable decisions by her put Racing under unnecessary pressure.

Jean-7: Easily the best defender on the afternoon.

Milliet-6: Her loose pass led to the opening goal, but redeemed herself on the pass that ultimately led to Weber's goal.

Flint-5: Your best player has to be better and smarter in end of match situations. She made a terrible tackle the was unnecessary and the free kick that was conceded led to Gotham’s equalizer. Picked up a yellow card to boot.

Borges-6: Had a decent game but it took her some time to make an impact on the match.

O'Kane-6: Average.

Hase-7: Really active in the first half. I am not sure Fischer gave any more than she would have in the last 30 minutes.

Weber-8: Great instinctual finish.

Sears-8: Had a nice assist, but she now leads the team in minutes and could use a break.

Gotham v RLFC -1

The Friday evening results didn’t break Racing’s way, so if they don’t want to leave things to the last match, a win will be required on Sunday in New Jersey (we don’t let the any other city get away with this nonsense, play in a stadium in New York or drop it from your name). On Friday the teams prepared for the upcoming match and spoke with the media. Taylor Flint commented that the team had a really good week of practice and that the team and staff believe that good practices translate to good performances. I have been around long enough to know that no player or coach ever admits to having a “bad” week at practice, so take that for what it’s worth. I asked Arin Wright if she thought the team was playing their best football at this point of the season, and she said that she thought the team was. I asked Bev a similar question about the team maintaining a consistently high level of play over the season and she thought that their consistent level showed and that it was key to being in the position that they currently sit (a good chance to make the playoffs).

Selfishly, I want them to get things done on Sunday. I think we all do. I don’t want a nervous crowd in Lynn Family Stadium on the final day (although if there isn’t anything to play for other than positioning it could impact the number of attendees). The fact is that Racing has simply played better on the road this season. The team has 3 more points in one less match on the road this season. If you think that Sears needs to put in a good performance for Racing to win at this point, that also occurs more often on the road.

A good piece of news is that Racing is seeming to get healthy at the right point in the season, or at least healthier than they have been recently. Arin Wright appears to have recovered from her leg injury. Milliet put in a full 90 minutes int he last match. There was a bit of a surprise announcement yesterday in that Pokorny and Lund have come off of the SEI list. Pokorny is a really valuable piece as a substitute which is something Racing sorely needs. The players are also not carrying as many minutes this season as they have in previous ones. Last season, Racing has 3 players play 100% of the minutes. This season, Petersen and Sears are the highest with 96%. It might be good to try to sit Petersen for a few minutes at some point over these last two matches to get her some rest. Sears could come off for some rest too, and she also has National Team minutes on her legs. I am a little concerned about her as she has played quite a few full 90s for Racing recently.

“How come they don’t fly away?”

Photo By Elizabeth Shaw

Stolen The Wire Epigraph

“How come they don’t fly away?”

For those of you who haven’t seen The Wire, think “Miami Vice” but bleaker and just as many “hey, that guy was on Miami Vice. You know…that guy from the thing…” Also, for a bonus Miami Vice story, check out my “As it Happened” piece on Lou City tomorrow.

Games are trees. Seasons are forests.

For the umpteenth match in a row, Racing was left with no other option than to trot at a less than full bench. This could be the case for the rest of the season if Morris doesn’t recover from what is ailing her. I have been thinking about squads and rosters recently. I have come up with this aphorism:

“You win duels and tackles by the one, halves with eleven, matches with sixteen, your place in the table with twenty, and bigger things with twenty-six.”

Essentially, don’t expect to consistently win matches when your twenty isn’t up to snuff or even consistently twenty. You can forget about bigger things beyond that if your roster is paper thin.

I ask you, “How many more points does Racing have if their roster is just two to three players stronger?” None? Three? Ten? It is an unanswerable question, but I think you get my point.

In a weird way, Racing has done itself a tremendous disservice by playing so well. Their effort and flexibility and having a great coach has papered over so many cracks in the wall, that even I believe that this team is good enough sometimes.

It’s all fool’s gold.

Bev Yanez has pulled off one of the greatest magic tricks that I have even seen. She has this team and fans believing that Racing can do big things. It is a terrific sleight of hand. “Look over here! Here is a great effort and a tremendously gritty performance.” “Pay no attention to the nine players on the availability report and the constant switching we have to do to hold a match together.”

Every gritty performance and every “almost” this season has felt different from the same platitudes provided in the past. That’s because Bev can pull wins out of this team that no other coach could.

I ask you to take a step back now and look at the forest:

• Nine players on the availability report.

• A roster of 28 on the website, but 4 on SEI/Maternity, 3 listed as OUT and not likely to return, 1 on loan, 2 without an NWSL minute in their career, 2 backup keepers, leaving only Bloomer and 15 outfield players to make a up matchday squad and bench you can use to win a match.

• The situation above has led to the following number of minutes played by rookies: Hase-1341, Weber-1282, O’Kane-1233. They have been fantastic, the lot of them, and maybe next year it pays off in spades, but they should all be closer to 700.

• In addition, Sonis’ and Petersen’s and Ary’s flexibility have put them in situations where they are passable, but not the long-term solution.

In retrospect, how does this team not have 23 points instead of 33?

Racing has seemed unlucky most of the season, but if you take a step back, you can see that this team has done well…really well for the circumstances it has been given.

However, this team’s wings are clipped. The sum total of everything above is the reason why Racing just can’t demonstrate prolonged prosperity. Several players (Sears, Flint, Jean) seem to be thriving in the system but many more (Petersen, Ary, Sonis, DiGrande, Fischer, Balcer, all three Rookies) are being adversely impacted by the squad construction (or lack of it). None of it shows up in tremendously detectable ways, but a sloppy pass here and a misplaced clearance there could be attributed to the mental fatigue of being put in situation where you are not doing what you do best. I don’t know how Ryan Dell continues to fail upward, but he is responsible for a big part of the roster mess and Caitlyn Milby has done a fine job cleaning up his mess, but she is probably only halfway done.

Nobody can nor should fault the effort and performances of this team, but until the roster is constructed in a manner in which all of the birds can fly high, the birds with clipped wings will not be able to soar.

Post Match Moment of the Match

One of the symptoms of the terminal diagnosis “team not deep enough” syndrome or whatever I was trying to say in the above section is that match performances will seem “good enough to win” to those closest to the situation. Bev was pleased with the performance in that “I can’t be upset. We created a lot today.” In a nutshell she said that if you don’t bury your chances and your opponent keeps looking at the scoreboard and its 0-0, you give that opponent hope. That’s what stone-cold finishers are for, and my mortal enemy (she knows why) Bethany Balcer came on and showed what she can do when given half a chance. Okay…I was actually delighted for her to score, so she has been downgraded to frenemy (along with Kaitlyn Whiteside…she also knows why). Bev used hindsight as a legitimate excuse as to why Balcer isn’t getting a few more minutes, and I get it, but I have to think that in this match, you have to bite the bullet and put her on even earlier. She brings goals, 100% fit or not. Some of it is, as Balcer put it, “the life of a forward” but I was done with Fischer’s evening about 10 to 20 minutes before she was subbed off. I asked Sonis point blank about the positional shifts that happened in the match (and an unspoken request to have her comment on the season as well). She did admit that “it can be difficult in game to shift your mindset”, which she had to do when put in attack. I get that under dire circumstances it is necessary, but this match was evidence of the accumulation of the burdensome demand that a substandard roster has put on the players remaining.

Did the stadium have good food?

There was a vegan bratwurst in the club that my all-of-a-sudden-sort-of-vegetarian wife and photographer called “good”, so I will take her word for it. There was also an Italian beef sandwich thing that was quite good. You can be honest with me. You just skip over this section, right? Who cares what I eat? One more match recap and I will bury this section 6 feet underground. They did have cheesecake though so that was bonus.

The Kayla Fischer Honorary Yellow Card of the Match (brought to you by Taylor Flint)

We had a textbook yellow card in this match. Weber went in late and hard on a Stars player. It was proper nasty. Definitely worthy of being “Kayla Fischer” like. Not “Kayla Fischer” worthy on the night? Kayla Fischer. She was bullied off the ball more than once and seemed hesitant for some reason. I don’t know what it will take for her to find some match-to-match consistency. Maybe it’s an offseason of dedication to discipline and focus. I think you have to stick with Weber now, and I am also not sure if I wouldn’t go Balcer for Weber at 60 or 70 depending on the scoreline in these next few matches. Flint will be back next week to get a red card for being tall or “existing” just in time to miss another crucial match. The officials were pretty good last night, so since that was the case let me remind you or how collectively their HORRIBLE INCONSISTENCY continues to ruin soccer. That is all.

“Your dashing horsemen, all gone away, left you the stable bill to pay.”

“Cars and Girls”/From Langley Park to Memphis/1988

The horse is dead, but I am going to keep beating it. How the heck are you supposed to win matches at this point of the season with the roster that Racing has? Most players are contributing and playing up to the best of their abilities, but there are too many square pegs, not quite in round holes, but in rectangular ones. They sort of fit, but loosely. Playoff teams need rosters of 26 serviceable players. Racing carried around 24 this season and not all of them stood a chance of seeing the pitch for meaningful minutes. Maybe another good rookie class will make the roster better next season, but I do go back to my early season assessment of the roster and question its playoff worthiness. I was wrong in my assessment, but not because of the facts on the ground. I just underestimated Bev. Never again.

That doesn’t change the fact that team still finds itself in decent position, but again, how much of that is due to underperformance by other teams. The wheels seem to have fallen off all 3 California teams. Chicago is only good enough to be a nuisance. Utah is only good under no pressure.

I still think Racing is going to sneak in but it will probably have to go to the final day.

On the bright side, with another offseason Bev and Caitlyn could finish the roster reconstruction and be a true force next season. For now, they are still left cleaning up a long-term problem.

Racing 1 Stars 1 Player Ratings

Photo by Elizabeth Shaw

It wasn’t a result that Racing wanted, but it could end up being a vital point rescued. Parts of the performance were good, but only Balcer proved to have the killer instinct.

Bllomer-6: Made one good save on a night where she wasn’t troubled much except for the goal.

Sonis-8: Credited with the assist on Balcer’s goal and played in at least 3 different positions on the night.

Petersen-6: Her failure to clear the ball effectively ultimately led to Chicago’s goal. Other than that, fairly solid.

Jean-6: Off night for her. She lost possession dangerously a couple of times but recovered.

Milliet-8: In her return to the starting lineup, she had a vital goal line clearance to keep it 0-1. Getting her and Sears on the same page again will be vital.

Borges-8: She is a great deputy for Flint and keeps putting in very good performances.

O'Kane-7: Solid but needs to do more with her touches inside the box.

Fischer-5: Might be the most frustrating performance from a player I have seen in a while. Muscled off the ball unnecessarily multiple times and didn’t get off a shot on a great opportunity where she tried to walk it in.

Hase-6: Started strong and then faded a bit.

Sears-6: Failed to get a really decent look all night.

Weber-7: She is getting in the right positions but has to find her finishing boots.

Balcer-8: Heroine of the match. So happy for her. Bev needs to trust her more.