First Practice of 2022

Courtesy EM Dash Photography

Coach Kim Björkegren conducted his first official Racing Louisville practices today. It was also the first practice at Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center for several players like Jae Howell and Jess McDonald. There were a few familiar faces as well like, CeCe Kizer. “It’s really weird being told that I am one of the older players,” according to Kizer. It will be her 4th year in the league, and she said that she was ready to step into a leadership role. On Coach Björkegren, CeCe said that her was “very funny” and “pretty loud”. She also commented that his practices were very focused on technical details. Rookie Jae Howell echoed those sentiments in regard to the technical nature of practice. Howell said that the first practice was spent getting to know her teammates and coaches. The practice itself had a lot of touches on the ball according to both Kizer and Howell.

Coach Kim said that it was an “amazing feeling to be back on the pitch.” When asked about his immediate plans for training, he said that he was likely going to change “almost everything”. He said that he sees potential in the team but will be looking to change tactics quite a bit. When I asked him about formation, he said that he is planning on sticking with a back four and that the changes will likely be in how he sets up the midfield and attack. Above all else, I believe that he is looking for a change in attitude on the field. Björkegren stated in his first press conferences and reiterated today that he has watched a lot of film of Racing and sometimes saw the players playing with “low energy” and playing “scared”. From the sounds of it, he will try to get Racing to play more aggressively and will tell players to “take chances” and not to be afraid of making mistakes.

The weather may put a damper on the rest of the week for practicing outdoors, but the team seems ready to attack 2022 with new energy and a fresh start.