Match Haiku

Stars pose little threat,

But folly opens the door.

Racing still triumphs.

“We all know her desire from the plans that she has made”

“This is the One” - The Stone Roses 1989

First things, first. Chicago Stars FC is ass.

Now that is out of the way, Racing put on performance just good enough to get all 3 points. It’s kind of a shame because the first 80 or so minutes was a really good performance. I know I can’t be the only one thinking about if the competition for goalkeeper is open at the moment. I am not a big advocate of switching keepers in the middle of a season, and Bloomer is signed through 2028. However, with no real competition as far as I can tell, her levels have dropped.

Everything else yesterday was pretty much exactly what you would want to see from a team overcoming a 5-1 road loss. My case for Bev knowing what she is doing:

Many fans were worried about the team being able to shake off a bad loss. I saw no ill effects from the blowout in Kansas City.
Resting players on Wednesday allowed her to put out what was her best eleven, in-form players against Chicago in my opinion.
Bev knows how to play probabilities. She knows whether to hit or stay in Blackjack depending on the dealer’s hand and doesn’t just go for 20 or 21 every time (as some in this fanbase seem to think is a good idea).

Even if Racing does not win another game this season, she still played this stretch masterfully and got six points from nine.

Now, the burning question is “How much can you win with Kayla Fischer as your most in-form player?’ I think that answer varies depending on the match, but hopefully the Kayla Fischer in midfield experiment is over. Lauren Milliet is much better in the midfield and with more wing options in the defense, Lo shouldn’t move back to defense any time soon. Kayla still frustrates as times, but so did DeMelo and this team always went the way she did when she was playing. I think this is Fischer’s team now, at least until the end of the season.

I also think Mirann Gacioch is the real deal. I am sure you could find me saying things like “I am not yet sold on her” because I definitely did. However, I was waiting around to be convinced because the club seemed to believe in her. It only took her 6 starts as a rookie to convince me, so I say that is pretty good. It will be interesting to see if she can play in a back 4, but in a back 3/5 I think she is really good. Racing should stick with a 3-center back look going forward.

Post Match Moment of the Match

Bev and her girls attended the post-match media press conference yesterday. While they ate snacks, I asked their mom about if the specific planning for the week helped them out by having a strong starting eleven for the day. She kind of said yes, but pointed more toward Petersen coming in for Jean as proof that getting players minutes all season makes them prepared to step in. I tried to pin her down to say if the current formation is “the formation” but she said that it would still be specific to each opponent, which is coach speak for “yes, probably”.

Arin Wright finally got to talk about a win and got to do it with a beer in hand.

She was excited to be involved in a center back to center back goal. She said that it was a set piece and look that the team specifically works on. Mirann praised Arin’s ball to her but said her favorite part was the celebration afterward. She also mentioned that her parents come to every game, but didn’t come today, which was a bummer. They were also asked about their form in the disco kits (which I believe is undefeated). Arin said that she likes playing in black because it, "looks hard, honestly.”

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

Artist: Pulp

Album: His ‘N’ Hers

Year: 1994

Format: CD

Store Location: 1140 Bardstown Road

Pulp was probably the horniest band on Earth in the 90s. They were also kind of known for being “so bad they were good” until they actually became good. This was the album (not Different Class) when they became good. They were always very dramatic regardless. They included things in the liner notes like “Please do not read the lyrics whilst listening to the recordings” and were 100% serious about those instructions.

I bought this album used, I think. My memory isn’t quite clear on that one. I do remember it was an album that I took a chance on, so it probably didn’t cost much. I was rewarded with a very listenable album with several great tracks on it. It was a scrappy album by a scrappy band that went onto bigger and better things. It’s fun to root for the lovable losers and hope they come good sometimes.

The Taylor Flint Honorary Yellow Card of the Match

Racing played a card free match, so congratulations to them. This gives me a chance to say something negative about the NWSL which I will never turn down. The league doesn’t have a very transparent way to communicate yellow card suspension risk to fans. For example, Kayla Fischer has 4 yellow cards this season, but I can’t find anywhere the tells me that when it comes to suspension, she is actually only sitting on 3 out of 5, due to a good behavior reduction. The league communicates with teams regularly, but fans are left in the dark.

The 2026 UFL Champion Louisville (Draft?) Kings Sports Betting Corner

Here is something I wrote in May:

“It’s going to be some time before you can see Racing in action again, but if you’re looking for the other type of “action” here are some things you can wager on until the NWSL returns in early July.
I think the bottom spot in the league is turning into a 4-team race. Here is how I would set the moneylines for teams finishing in 16th Place:
Racing +110
Boston +110
Chicago +150
Bay +175”

This is now looking like a two-horse race and possibly a one-horse race. Chicago is ass.

Also, the Chicago Stars FC media release for each match includes “Brand Guidelines” that instruct the media to refer to their team in the first reference in a piece as Chicago Stars FC. Thus, my earlier reference. Other acceptable names are “Chicago”, “The Chicago Stars”, “The Stars”, and “Chicago Stars Football Club”. Under “DO NOT USE” the club instructs us not to call them “Stars FC”, “Ass FC”, “Chicago Red Stars”, “The Artist Formally Known as Chicago Red Stars”, “Overrated Pizza FC”, “The Red Stars”, “Lake Michigan Punching Bag FC” and “The Pushovers”. I made up some of those.

“This is the one she’s waited for”

I know I am never going to get any coach to cop to this, but this was the match of the three that Racing played this week that the team had to win. They almost Racing’d their way into a point by Bloomer letting a very savable ball go into her net and having an own goal prevented by a very tight offside call. I don’t think the broadcast showed the best angles for either of the offside calls, so either the midfield angle was the best they had, or VAR had a more definitive one. Regardless, the three points has been booked and now Racing can look up and see a few more clubs within touching distance. I don’t expect a playoff run from this team, but win a few more and that outlook could change.

I joke about Chicago, but honestly you can’t read too much into a result against them. There were utterly toothless until they started to play direct in the last 15 minutes. It’s even harder to see what the plan is in Chicago than it is here in Louisville.

FREE EMMA SEARS

The noise on this has died down to a dull buzz in the background. Emma seems content to be patient and play professionally within the system. She could have selfishly gone for goal yesterday but passed to Kayla. Emma has matured as a player this season, but Racing just isn’t going to reap much of the benefit from it. Her next team will. She will be gone in 2027. Racing has never not honored an offseason trade request as far as I know, so maybe she is content to let things run their course here. I think she still holds all the cards and the only thing that suffers now is Racing’s bottom line because ownership is too stubborn to let her go.

"We all know her desire from the plans that she has made."