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Michael Shaw 10/4/22 Michael Shaw 10/4/22

Racing Louisville: 2022 Fourth Quarter Review

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator: Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.
Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator: Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.
Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator: Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.
Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator: Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator. Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator.

Soccer Holdings LLC enabled the hiding of a sexual predator

Michael Shaw 10/3/22 Michael Shaw 10/3/22

Zero Accountability

I am almost 100% positive I’ve said this before, but part of the purpose of this blog is to hold the club accountable when they do things wrong. This is wrong. When I started this blog, I did so without a media credential and will continue to write if this gets mine revoked.

James O’Connor has to be removed from his position. It is a non-negotiable for Racing fans who care about the players they support. I understand that the complexities of a non-disclosure agreement prevent people from doing the legal thing sometimes. NOTHING should ever prevent anyone from doing the moral thing. In this case I believe the moral thing to do was to shout from the mountain top “Christy Holly is a sexual predator!” By not doing so, the club abdicated its duties to its players and fans. What was put in place to prevent him from doing this again, especially at a level with even less oversight or scrutiny than the NWSL. Ultimately, I think the club will do the right thing, but you are going to have to help force them to do so.

#JOCOUT

Michael Shaw 10/2/22 Michael Shaw 10/2/22

Racing 1 Current 0 Post Match Thoughts

They are perhaps no more thrilling ways to win a soccer match than to win it in the last minute of stoppage time. At face value this win only managed worsen Racing's draft position to 4th, but everyone in the organization surely believes that this is something to build on.

Racing put on its most organized defensive performance of the year. I don’t think this back four of Fox, Murray, Bonner, and Lester will be the first choice back 4 next year, but on the night, they played really well as a unit. This was greatly aided by Jaelin Howell’s performance in front of them as well. On the stat sheet this was a really even match, and in those types of matches this year Racing tended to either lose or draw them. I had 0-0 as a likely score line in my head, pretty much the entire match. However, this was a performance from a team that has maybe finally learned how to play well enough on the defensive end to keep themselves in every match they play. In my opinion, 1-0 is the sweetest score in soccer in that it requires fight the entire match, regardless of whether the goal was scored in the first minute or after the 90th.
The milestones I mentioned in my preview were reached. Milliet made her 50th NWSL start for Racing and Fox made her 50th appearance. Fox seemed surprised by the fact that she had reached 50 appearances when I mentioned it to her post match. I am almost certain that players don’t track or worry about such milestones, so they can be easily overlooked unless someone points them out.

Remember that I am a fan first and foremost and only have media credentials through the generosity of the club, so making these and getting them signed was a highlight for my wife and me.

The team performed the traditional lap of appreciation around the stadium, which I am 100% positive was made more fun by the late goal.

For some of these players it was probably the last chance to walk around Lynn Family Stadium as a member of the Racing squad, so I hope they appreciated it and took it in. Now, I am going to present a couple of observations for you to make you own judgement. I witnessed Michele Betos, Yuki Nagasato, Sav McCaskill, Sinclaire Miramontez, Julia Ashley, Jorian Baucom, and Addyson Merrick all make an effort to talk to Racing fans, staff and players after their return to Lynn Family Stadium (I was not in attendance for Kaliegh Riehl’s return, but I am sure she did the same). Cece Kizer spent all of her post match time in KC’s half before making a beeline to the visitor’s locker room. If she has any appreciation for her time in Louisville, it wasn’t on display last night. The other thing I didn’t see was any of her old teammates reaching out to her. Maybe I missed it, which is entirely possible. If anyone else witnessed anything different I will be happy to eat crow. UPDATED: She did talk to Jess and friends and family and signed autographs for multiple fans so my apologies.

Racing bettered its performance in the table last year in points, goal difference and places from the bottom. Chicago and Angel City still have a match to play, so at least one team and possibly two will miss the playoffs with 30 points. Accumulating half of the points available at 33 will be the magic number for playoff qualification if Chicago wins. It will be 32 if they don’t. In retrospect, an additional 9-10 points from Racing seems a little too much to have asked for this year. Racing probably felt like they were on the “unfair” side of the scoreline a few times, but the win last night and at Gotham surely evened those out. Racing seems ready to make a playoff push next year and Jess McDonald said as much after the match, but it will require regression from at least 3 teams ahead of them and also require that Washington doesn't immediately rebound which seems entirely possible. If they do, that number becomes 4. Racing will need to add quality and depth in the off-season, something Coach Björkegren pretty much confirmed in his post match interview last night.
I will likely post a post season review on here this week, but will definitely have something published on the State of Louisville website, so watch out for that. I will be completely honest. This season was fun to write about, but I enjoyed last year's team slightly more. There is no real reason behind this other than last year's team was the first. I think this year's team was much better, so I am hoping that next year will be even more fun to cover. The team seems to be moving in a better direction, but I will stop short of calling it the “right direction” just yet.

Michael Shaw 10/1/22 Michael Shaw 10/1/22

Racing 1 Current 0 Player Ratings

Racing won their final match of the season through Jess McDonald's stoppage time goal. The match felt like it could end in a 0-0 draw pretty much the entire time, so this truly feels likes points stolen “at the death”

Lund-8: Katie now solely owns the NWSL save record. On the night her shot stopping was excellent, as was her decision making.

Fox-8: Absolutely superb in her 50th NWSL appearance. Looked as good as she has all year.

Bonner-8: Never seemed to put a foot wrong on the evening.

Murray-8: Was supremely confident on the night winning possession for Racing with her aggressiveness and commitment.

Lester-8: Julia was particularly accurate in her passing with only 4 misplaced passes and 30 successful ones.

Howell-8: Looked a completely different player from her debut at the beginning of the season. She should now feel confident enough to enforce her will even more next year. Won a team high 11 duels.

Milliet-7: Lauren made her 50th NWSL start for Racing and put in her usual solid performance.

DeMelo-8: She will likely not win rookie of the year, but may ultimately prove to be the best of the 2022 NWSL draft class. Had the assist on Jess's goal.

Chidiac-6: Was subbed off for Ekic who provided an attacking lift.

Davis-6: Couldn't quite find her groove on the night and will look to be more of a consistent attacking threat next season.

McDonald-8: The goal meant so much for her, the team, and the fans. If Racing are to make a playoff push next season, expect her to make more goal contributions.

Michael Shaw 9/30/22 Michael Shaw 9/30/22

Racing v Current Preview

The last Racing practice of the year definitely had a “last day of school” vibe (credit to Julie Twaddle for calling that out). The players mostly wore long sleeves as it was a nice, sunny early autumn morning. The generally feeling around practice was relaxed. Prior to practice, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman spent about 30 talking to players and staff. Berman has now visited all 12 cities in the NWSL markets. The media, which today just included Bekki Morgan and I, got to ask her some questions about the things on the top of our minds, but more on that later. The team definitely had the look of a squad that had won a few recent matches and had a couple of days off from training. Racing will be looking to play spoiler again on Saturday as the KC Current can still finish anywhere from 1st to 5th. Due to its proximity and having played 3 times already this year, the Current seem like a semi-natural rival and it’s always good to beat those.

Everything looks on track for Lauren Milliet to make her 50th NWSL start for Racing and for Emily Fox to make her 50th NWSL appearance for Racing on Saturday evening. The weather forecast looks great for Saturday evening too, so there is no excuse not to show up and support Racing one last time this year. I am somewhat torn about how much benefit there is for Racing to finish 9th and get the 4th pick in the upcoming college draft vs. finishing 11th and getting the 2nd pick. I think it will ultimately boil down to who Racing end up selecting at 2,3, or 4. If they get the player they want at 4 then it’s definitely a win. If they miss out and get a different player, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing either. All we really have to go on is that Fox and Howell were game changers at 2 and DeMelo certainly was at 4. However, Racing need defense and particularly more central defense, so that makes their need to get the right player more important in this draft. I will be happy with a central defender at 2, 3, or 4, but would be happiest to get the best CB available. I asked Coach Björkegren about the importance of momentum being carried over into next season, to which he replied, “I think we can build on this (momentum).” That will require more roster stability and the need to integrate new players in February and not June, but I am optimistic that the core of this team is here (minus maybe one more young central defender).

Jessica Berman was nice enough to answer some questions. I thought she gave mostly encouraging answers on the following topics:

2023 World Cup’s impact to the NWSL schedule: First, the NWSL Schedule has a habit of being released late. To that she said, “It’s been a high priority since I joined in April…We are definitely committed to avoiding (a late schedule release) in the future.” On the World Cup conflicting with the NWSL season: “We are going to do everything we can to minimize those conflicts so that our league can thrive and those players who are going to play for their country are going to be able to perform at the highest level.” The was no specific update on possibly holding the Challenge Cup during the World Cup window, which has been rumored.
On Kits: “We recently hired a new executive at the league office, a new Chief Marketing Officer who spent time this week in Portland with Nike. There were many topics on the agenda: the kits and the uniqueness of that opportunity to create a connection with fans is among the topics being explored with Nike and with their input about how do we partner to use that opportunity for merchandise as well as marketing to drive engagement.” That is a lot of words and not much detail, but it was encouraging to hear that the league saw its relationship with Nike as a way to improve fan engagement around kits and other merchandise. Now if we could just get a Lavender kit for Racing’s home and a pink one for San Diego’s away, I would consider that progress and a better fan connection than the Wave’s tremendously boing year one kits.
On VAR: Not much of an update on specifics, but the league has started the training for “those who will be responsible for executing VAR next season.” Berman shared that ”it’s a very intense and cumbersome project, both at an enterprise level from a strategic perspective, but also tactically with the connectivity to the local stadiums from the broadcast.” Now there is quite a bit of nuance in those statements. I have shared before that the prevailing opinion is that is takes around 30 or so cameras to implement VAR at the level you see in Europe’s top men’s league. I think we can safely assume that each NWSL stadium won’t be getting 30 new cameras. Based on what she shared today, I think fans can expect an improved broadcast experience due to the level of reliable connectivity required for VAR. However, I don’t expect a whole lot of new camera angles to be available to conduct a VAR review. My best guess based on what I heard today is that VAR will be executed from a central office, and it is equally possible that it will be entirely done from a central command center or done with the field officials’ input through a pitch side monitor and communication with the central VAR officials. I don’t expect any non-broadcast cameras to be used, so if a current replay doesn’t clear up matters, neither will this VAR system. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. The Premier League seems to be caught in a never-ending controversy around over analyzing close calls. I don’t think the NWSL’s system will be set up to correct anything other than a blatantly obvious incorrect call. That actually would be an improvement over the Premier League’s current system of nitpicking every possible decision. However, that means expect very few to no overturns on things like fouls in the box or fouls on the keepers. If VAR ends up only being used for clearly missed offside decisions and handballs in the box, I will consider that a win. Berman said to expect a more detailed update either late this year or early next year.
On Player Development/Player Pipeline: This is what I will call “The Ella Sanchez question”. I am in the extreme minority when I say that the other three topics were of much greater interest to me. Berman didn’t give much detail at all other that highlighting the hire of Tatiana Haney (who I could find very, very little about, but I will take Jessica’s word for it as a ”former head of Women’s Football for FIFA” who hasn’t worked for FIFA in the last five years) to lead the development of the strategy on the player pipeline and player development. “Part of that will be how academies fit into that model”, according to Berman. Don’t hold your breath for any news there. Feel free to waste your breath asking though, as Berman is scheduled to make an appearance at the Lavender Legion tailgate on Saturday. For me, the simple math is that it is very, very unlikely that Racing’s academy reach is vast enough to bring in and nurture an NWSL level talent very often. The issue will not be solved in time to impact Ella, and I seriously doubt that the next Ella Sanchez is around the corner, but you never know. If you view the academy’s role as a means to bring in talent, I think you may be missing the point. LouCity’s academy seems to be doing a decent job of finding and preparing USL level talent, but the LouCity and Racing academies’ mission is to give youth the chance to learn and play soccer while learning life skills. As a “pipeline”, I’d rather be looking to find the best players available anywhere because the geographic realities of trying to find players from a pool of 1 million people vs 330 million are quite daunting.

Michael Shaw 9/29/22 Michael Shaw 9/29/22

The 2022 Soccer Ball

When the LouCity and Racing Foundation announced their plans for a “Soccer Ball” earlier this year, I had all of these grandiose ideas about covering the event. I would take photos and interview players, etc. In reality, the event was way too much fun to “work” it. As shown above, I did get a pic of Lauren Milliet holding her Players’ Choice award. Nadia Nadim won the Community Leadership award (Brian Ownby and Sean Totsch won those respective awards for LouCity). However, the highlight of the night was really the event itself. The ball moved along at a crisp pace and for a fundraising event, it was on the thankfully short side. Everyone I talked with was pleased with the turnout. I estimated the crowd at just under 1000. The event surely raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the foundation and I am sure official numbers will come out soon. The real highlights of the night were the speakers. Dr. Scott Goodwin reflected on his time at LouCity and how it helped him achieve his dreams. Carlos Moguel shared his story which represented the work already done by the foundation to remove financial barriers that prevent children from playing soccer at a high level. Finally, George Davis IV shared what the foundation is doing and can still do to impact the lives of young soccer players. The departing voice of Racing Louisville (but still the voice of LouCity) Lance McGarvey was the master of ceremonies and kept the evening fun.

Although there has been nothing officially announced, it would be very easy to picture this an an annual event. The tickets were a bit on the expensive side, so maybe there is an opportunity to hold another charitable/fundraising event that could be open for more people, but that shouldn't diminish the impact of this event. I congratulate Soccer Holdings and the LouCity and Racing Foundation on a fun and successful night.

And I think we found a new motto to live by…

Michael Shaw 9/26/22 Michael Shaw 9/26/22

Angel City 1 Racing 3 Post Match Thoughts

If any of Angel City’s celebrity owners handed out orange slices after the match on Sunday night, I bet it left a bitter aftertaste for the ACFC players (Yes, I have been sitting on that insult for a while). The victory for Racing was surely sweet after a tough loss against Portland.

Prior to the match, we received the terrible news that Nadia Nadim suffered another ACL injury. It seems premature to talk about prognosis, so all I will say for now is “Get Well Soon, Dr. Nadim.”
In the early part of the match, I thought that Angel City looked quick and sharp in their passing. It's not that Racing was sluggish, but they were not as sharp as the home side. The thought that entered my head a little more than 35 minutes through the first half (just before Racing equalized) was that Angel City was a lot like their number 9 Savannah McCaskill, equally capable of greatness and prone to moments of insanity. Shortly after Racing equalized, one of those moments of insanity occurred when Nielsen committed one of the most clearly obvious penalties you will ever see and seemed briefly confused (or play-acted confusion) as to why she was penalized. Alex Chidiac stepped up moments later and converted the penalty (clearly aided by her recent appearance on the Vamos Morados podcast). Even though McCaskill scored (a goal she knew absolutely nothing about), she reminded Racing fans as to why she was a frustrating figure sometimes last year as she over dribbled more than once.
Racing was mostly clinical with their chances which is something that has been lacking most of the season. It's hard to pick the better goal between Davis and Ekic, so let's not. It's also hard to pick the better assist between Fox and Howell, but I will give the nod to Howell as she won possession just prior to playing Davis in on goal.
Racing had a few nervy moments trying to defend a one-goal lead and looked really under pressure at the start of the second half. After about 5 minutes of constant pressure, they were able to keep possession better in the next 5. I don't think they were overly conservative in their second half setup, but it's obviously easier to keep a lead with the ball vs. without it. Racing had their first come-from-behind road victory ever, which is a nice accomplishment too (last year they had one late in the season vs. Orlando at home., also 3-1).
For the season, Racing took 7 points from the 2 California expansion sides. That's not a bad return. Only the Reign and Orlando won more points. It kind of begs the question as to why the rest of the league didn't do better. I am putting it down to the overall lack of a few clearly dominant teams.
Before the next and final home match, the Racing players will attend the Soccer Ball. I imagine the event will be slightly more fun coming off of a victory.

Michael Shaw 9/25/22 Michael Shaw 9/25/22

Angel City 1 Racing 3 Player Ratings

Racing ruined Angel City’s night and may have ruined their playoff hopes. The home team had a really fortuitous bounce on their opening goal, but Racing recovered and responded with 3 unanswered goals to secure 3 points.

Lund-8: Made quite a few very good saves, but now holds the rather unwanted record of most saves in a single NWSL season.

Fox-8: Excellent defensively and her terrific assist led to Ekic putting the nail in Angel City's coffin.

Murray-7: Made an absolutely critical touch in the box to prevent a late chance.

Bonner-7: Led the team valiantly and was very communicative on the night.

Lester-7: Did fine defensively, but was rusty in her passing.

Howell-9 (Player of the Match): Had an absolute monster game. Won the ball and created the chance for Davis’ opener.

DeMelo-7: Another solid performance for Sav, but for once her teammates were the stars for the evening.

Milliet-7: Less involved than usual, but won the penalty for the go ahead goal.

Chidiac-7: Took her penalty calmly and ruthlessly.

Ekic-7: Had a cracker of a finish for the goal that was the icing on the cake.

McDonald-7: Worked her tail off as usual, but couldn't find the right ball to play into the box. On this night, it didn't matter.

Davis-8: Smashed an absolute stunner into Angel City’s goal to get Racing back on level terms.

Michael Shaw 9/23/22 Michael Shaw 9/23/22

Angel City v Racing Preview

Racing will be looking to recover from a stinging loss to Portland where they played decently for the first 45 and then succumbed to a much better Thorns team in the second half. Personally, I don’t believe Angel City has near the amount of quality that Portland does, so I expect a much better performance from Racing on Sunday evening. In keeping with recent tradition in that these “previews” are only previews in the sense that I write about them prior to the match, and then pretty much say whatever is currently on my mind, I want to share a few tidbits and then get to the match at hand.

If Emily Fox plays in the next two matches for Racing (and there is no reason that she shouldn’t), she will be the second player to make 50 NWSL appearances for Racing. This will be a little more difficult for the team to celebrate, as there will not be another chance for Emily to appear in front of the Lynn Family Stadium crowd until next year. Look for the club to post something during the October 1st match on social media and then potentially announce something prior, during, or after the match. Being that we are a couple of matches away from this being an absolute certainty, let’s stick a pin in this for now but I wanted to make fans aware to be on the lookout for something in regard to this milestone.
Zach Allen-Kelly made a famous prediction that Racing would “turn over more than 50% of its roster next year” on one of our prediction columns for the State of Louisville. I always had it in my mind that he meant from the end of the 2021 season to start of the 2022 season. Looking at that number, it was just under 50%. Through another measure comparing the end of season roster in 2021 to the end of season roster in 2022, only 7 players (28%) survived a full second season with Racing (Milliet, Fox, Martin, Ekic, Lund, Bonner, and Nadim). I don’t bring this up to be a downer, but to remind you that there are 7 players who only have an option for 2023 (Beall, Bloomer, Bonner, Chidiac, Ekic, Goins, and Malham) and 2 whose contracts are completely up (Martin and Cheyna Matthews). Chidiac mentioned this in passing on the most recent version of the Vamos Morados podcast. Technically, Beall, Bloomer, Ekic, Goins, Malham and Martin couldn’t play for another NWSL team unless Racing gave permission, Bonner and Chidiac I believe would be more likely to head back overseas, and Matthews has full free agency. It will likely be another high turnover offseason even with some of the key players locking in a few more years. Zach and I will likely to another off-season prediction column, so we will see what his forecast is for 2023. He was eerily close last year regardless of the measure.
Players will be looking to exit Louisville and return home during their off seasons, so the next home match on October 1st may be your last chance to show your favorite players your appreciation. I did get to have a couple of post season interactions with Michelle Betos, my favorite player last year but that was purely accidental. Start to brace yourself to see some players in a Racing kit for the last time.
As for the match in LA, Angel City have loads to play for and Racing would enjoy mothing more that making sure at least one of the expansion teams doesn’t make this year’s playoffs. In their own ways, both Angel City and San Diego have set a new standard for expansion teams. I don’t expect the next few expansion teams to be as successful on the pitch as the two SoCal teams, but they have set a blueprint. The 2023 won’t see expansion, and I think a little stability might help all of the teams in the offseason. What would help Racing the most is another high draft pick, which they are looking very likely for 3rd or better, and a couple of decent performances in the last two matches. However, I’m not sure how much positivity or negativity carries over from season to season, but a win in LA would be fair payback for the early season loss to Angel City at home.

Michael Shaw 9/22/22 Michael Shaw 9/22/22

Thorns 3 Racing 0 Post Match Thoughts

I'm not sure that there is a whole lot to be said about last night's loss. Racing lost to a better team. They simultaneously played well and were lucky not to concede in the first half. Once the first goal went in, there was frankly no way back.

I will beg your indulgence on this next bit. It may be hard to follow or reconcile with the way you personally watch soccer, but it's how my brain works. For me, no shot on target until the first goal is scored really matters. For example, commentators often like to say things like “the score line should be 2-0” in situations like last night where the score was 0-0 at half. Portland definitely had opportunities and Racing made heroic saves, but the ball has no memory or conscious. Every shot on goal is indicative of and predicated on the current score. The fact that Bonner saved a goal and prevented an early score from Portland dictated every action that followed. If she didn't make that save, all of the action that followed would have been different. My theory is that if Bonner is not there to make the save, the score line is 1-0 and Nadim is not there to make the second goal line clearance because both Portland and Racing behave differently with the score line at 1-0. When the scoreline is 0-0, there is a very high probability that in the next measurable moment that the scoreline will still be 0-0, a low probability that the score line will be 0-1 or 1-0 and absolutely zero probability that the score will be 0-2 or 2-0. In essence, I don't like to think about a theoretical scoreline that is mathematically impossible at a specific point in time. When the score is 0-0 at half, there is is no possible way that the next goal would make it 3-0 to the team with the better opportunities. Though hilariously, that seemed to be exactly what happened after the second half restart. Racing were down by 3 before they knew what hit them, but in my mind it was predicated on Bonner's misplaced header, and nothing that happened in the first half. That first goal changed the behavior of both teams. I also have to think that the Thorns were told to be more direct and relentless at half, which surely contributed as well. Regardless, the match for sure changed at 1-0.
It will not shock anyone for me to say that Racing needs better defensive players, but I feel like they need better cohesion, regardless of who is out there. Several times in the first half I saw players backpedaling vs. stepping to the ball. In my experience this is down to a lack of trust in the positioning of the defenders behind you. More than once the defenders were in good position, but the player closest to the ball didn't TRUST in them enough to step to the ball to try to stop an attack further up the pitch. This is a difficult thing to get right and it is especially hard when you don't have a ton of experience playing together and you have seen your defenders be out of position on several occasions in the past. Racing's back line doesn't move together. It should look like they are connected by an invisible rope that never lets them lose their defensive shape too much.
All in all, it was an expected result. Portland are much better on paper than Racing. The only way to be ultimately competitive is for Racing to get better on paper, top to bottom on the roster.

Michael Shaw 9/22/22 Michael Shaw 9/22/22

Thorns 3 Racing 0 Player Ratings

Racing played a fairly decent first half, even if a 0-0 scoreline was flattering. However, Portland pretty much took over the match at the beginning of the second half and cruised to victory.

Lund-5: Has the rather ignominious honor of making over 100 saves this season. Way too much pressure on her as a keeper.

Bonner-5: Her miscue opened the floodgates, but a save early in the first half kept the score even.

Murray-5: Was the better of the two center backs on the night.

Fox-7: Needs real help on the back line to show her full potential.

Milliet-6: Would be better served by playing the next couple of matches in attack.

Howell-6: The back line isn't disciplined enough for her to show her strength winning balls to stop attacks vs. dropping back to be an extra defender.

Chidiac-6: Neat and tidy in her passing, but no real cutting edge.

DeMelo-6: Hit the post on a good free kick chance.

Ekic-7: Unlucky not to score. She is winning me over as a potential starter.

Nadim-N/R: Hoping for the best in regards to her injury.

McDonald-6: Put in a decent defensive effort.

Davis-6: On for Nadim, but doesn't yet have her quality.

Michael Shaw 9/19/22 Michael Shaw 9/19/22

Thorns v Racing Preview

As Racing are headed into their final stretch of matches for the year, the focus will naturally turn more and more to the 2023 season. After the recent announcement of Lauren Milliet’s contract extension, the club recently announced the contract extension of Sav DeMelo through 2025. I have to believe that the next priorities are 1) Fox and 1A) Howell. Not that everyone else on the roster is expendable, but those are the players that will be entering the prime of their careers in the next few seasons and as such require locking down. Björkegren spoke about expecting the young players’ contributions to increase in the next two seasons, so I think Racing will try to get a core group of younger players to lock in their seasons at age 25. Research tends to point to age 25 as the most productive plus or minus a couple of years on either side, with age outperforming youth just outside of the peak range. DeMelo is now contracted to spend her 25th, 26th and 27th years in Louisville. I tend to believe that 27 is the prime age, but that is really based more on what I have seen in the men’s game. Either way, DeMelo will be spending her statistically most-likely best years at Racing. Fox is also 24 and Howell is 22, while Milliet will turn 26 this December.

However, of immediate concern is a west coast trip that Racing is undertaking as I write this. The plan is to take the entire available squad on the trip in hopes of getting the entire roster some experience in playing in front of large crowds, or at least experiencing the environment. Portland and Angel City usually have large crowds and Portland at least has a “good” crowd (I’m not saying anything against Angel City, I just don’t know what their reputation is. If it’s like the other soccer clubs in LA I would assume it is a good crowd too.) Every other NWSL club’s fans will probably be cheering pretty heartily for Racing in both matches. A win or draw in either match definitely hurts their opponents’ playoff prospects (Thorns in seeding and Angel City in possible elimination). Racing will be looking to improve on a better but imperfect performance vs. Orlando. I think it would be fun to start 7 defenders against Portland just to grind out a draw, but everyone else’s definition of “fun” probably doesn’t match mine. I still think the best way to win when you are outmatched is to play strictly on the counter, but for Racing another good performance in the preferred style and system is probably much more valuable than a win or draw. Anyway…look at this insanely defensive lineup I made:

I’ll eat my laptop if that is the lineup, but it’s fun to dream.

Portland’s overall form hasn’t been great, but they have taken 16 out of a possible 18 points from teams currently in the bottom four, which is exactly what good teams do. I expect Racing to put up a good fight, but ultimately fall short.

Michael Shaw 9/17/22 Michael Shaw 9/17/22

Racing 2 Pride 0 Post Match Thoughts

Coach Björkegren was his usual stoic self after the win last night, but had to feel better and a bit relieved by the result. Racing was the better team for pretty much the entire match, and their lead never looked in any real danger after the second goal. There were good performances all around the pitch last night, but perhaps the most encouraging one was Emily Fox’s performance, who is the absolute key to Racing’s success going forward.

Emily Fox once again showed her quality last night, and it was good to see her put in a commanding performance. For the first time in quite a while, Fox looked 100%. I warned earlier in the year about her overuse by the national team, and I really believe those minutes caught up with her in midseason. Because Fox missed the previous match due to recovering from a concussion, she had the chance to get in some much-needed rest. I can’t say for sure that the rest is what made the difference in her performance, but she looked like her old, dominating self last night. Fox is perhaps the only Racing player that can make a defensive recovery once an attacking player is past her. On a few occasions, you saw Emily be the last defender back and make the vital tackle or at least slow-down the counter. The truth is that she covers defensive lapses, but last night she benefited by not having as many to cover.
I don’t want to bore you with a bunch of heatmaps or touch maps, so take my word for it when I say that a cursory examination of the maps from last night’s match showed positional discipline. There were a few items of interest. First, Coach Kim stated in his post-match press conferences that he thought Bonner and Murray did a good job of covering more ground by spacing out a bit more. Looking at their heatmaps and average positions shows this to be accurate. Their combined heatmap shows them covering just about the entire defensive half. Wang had a really good night being all over the pitch. In her post-match words, Nadia Nadim stated that Wang tended to stick close to her when in attack and that their on-the-field connection was in evidence last night. Looking at the four primary attackers, each of them were disciplined by keeping to their natural areas on the pitch. Wang perhaps had deeper touches than your average CAM, but her instinct to drop deep cut off a few Orlando attacks. Howell and DeMelo painted the midfield with touches but were both pretty disciplined in sticking to one side of the pitch. All of these combined efforts made Racing look in control of the match, especially after taking an early lead.
Björkegren kept his tendency to stick with the team that is working when Racing is playing well. Racing didn’t make a sub until the 85th minute. I know that this drives many, many Racing fans crazy, but it doesn’t bother me. Professional soccer players can play 90 minutes pretty consistently. Here is the part that I think people may be missing. No player ever wants to not play…ever. You could argue that the coach needs to protect the players from themselves sometimes, and I tend to agree with that. However, one of the advantages that Racing has is youth. If Racing is to ever get over the hump, I believe it will be with players like Howell and DeMelo leading the charge. They have to get minutes to get the necessary experience to lead the team forward. Racing does have 3 of the top ten outfield players in minutes so far this year (DeMelo, Milliet, and Howell), but all of them are still young. Unlike Fox, who has seemed to have played at least a match per week since January, those three have had international breaks to recover. You also have to remember that rotation is different than substitution, and I think rotation is much more important than substitution. Only 4 players have started every match and 19 different players have started. I am all for making a sub to change a match, but if it doesn’t warrant changing why substitute?
Racing’s two goals were squarely of the “team” variety, which is encouraging. The team still has a tendency to overplay the ball a bit in the box and the two goals showed the benefit of a) getting off a shot directly from an advancing move, and b) taking a shot from distance even if you have other options in the box. One day I would like to see a performance where the opposing keeper is pelted with shots. Racing had 11 shots compared to Orlando’s 14, but I feel like they could have easily had more. The on-field communication was better last night, but players still were occupying the same space in attack a few more times than you would like to see.

Michael Shaw 9/16/22 Michael Shaw 9/16/22

Racing 2 Pride 0 Player Ratings

Racing (finally) got back in the win column in the league and also eliminated the Orlando Pride from playoff contention. The scoreline could have been better or worse, but the performance was encouraging if not a definitive turnaround from the last few matches.

Lund-7: Was excellent when called upon. Still had a nervous touch every once in a while, but walked away with a coveted clean sheet.

Fox-8: Had a near perfect defensive performance. Still could be a little more selfish on offense. The collective defense is so much better when she is available to be that last, speedy barrier between the opponent and the keeper.

Bonner-8: Excellent in her positioning and her recoveries and clearances. Needs a match off from getting head contact though.

Murray-8: Was brave in winning balls in defense. Her positioning relative to Bonner was excellent too.

Milliet-7: Maybe just a hair below the other defenders in her performance, but still really good.

Howell-7: Made some really key tackles and enforced her will on the match.

DeMelo-8: Got on the scoresheet again with another assured long range effort. Looked re-energized after the last couple of tough matches.

Wang-8 (Player of the Match): Was relentless in attack and winning the ball high up the pitch. If Racing is ever to become an effective pressing team, expect her to lead the charge.

Ekic-7: Performed well on both sides of the ball in a rare start. Probably still best effective as a change of pace substitute.

McDonald-8: Made the absolute most out of her touches and the first goal was completely made by her.

Nadim-8: Was the beneficiary of Jess's excellent run and cross, but still had to make the right final run, which she adjusted at the very last moment.

Michael Shaw 9/15/22 Michael Shaw 9/15/22

Racing v Pride Preview

Racing prepares to face the Orlando Pride on Friday evening at 7:30. It will be the first match at Lynn Family Stadium since the “Fill the Fam” debacle. During the most recent Butchertown Rundown, Bekki casually mentioned that she expected attendance to be lower next year. Friday nights in the fall are an especially tough sell and this Friday not only has high school football to compete with, but also a University of Louisville home football game. Having been a Louisville Football season ticket hold for 5 years, I know what winning does for attendance, but more importantly I know what losing does. I think it is pretty much a forgone conclusion that this year’s Racing Louisville attendance is going to fall below last year’s. For most people, there is only so much losing they can take before they start to express their displeasure with their wallets. For me, I am more dedicated and invested. There are still quite a few people who are. I don’t think Racing Louisville are in danger of dropping too far down attendance, but they do seem to have squandered the initial momentum that a new club brings.

If you haven’t yet watched Jess McDonald’s interview from practice on Wednesday, you should. Jess talks about what she sees as the team’s main issues. In a nutshell, it boils down to a lack of identity, fear when the team hits the pitch, poor communication, and not believing in themselves. With as much as she said, there were still some things that she didn’t say either on or off the record. I don’t like to assume so I won’t over speculate, but when she pointed to losing their identify in the middle of the season, it does coincide with the timing of the roster turnover. The encouraging thing, I guess, is that the team seems fully aware of the issues. And if you are a child of the 80’s, you have heard that “knowing is half the battle.”

As an adult, you know that platitude is complete and utter crap. “Knowing” may be the first step but there is definitely more to improving than problem identification. As an adult you understand that almost all improvement comes in small steps. Therefore, don’t expect a complete an utter turnaround. Here are some signs of improvement to watch for:

Go the first 30 minutes without conceding. Emily Fox was back in training on Wednesday and if everything goes well, will be back to full training on Thursday and available for selection on Friday. She should surely bring some more stability to the back line defense. The last two 4-goal defeats were disheartening, but the first one took place by having to shift Fox into the middle mid-match. Part of this need was down to Murray’s one match suspension vs. Chicago. In the second one, Fox wasn’t available. For this match vs. Orlando, Racing has the opportunity to try to limit the goals. That starts with being ready to defend from the first minute. Racing will have most of their defenders available (Lester may still be a question mark).
Better on the pitch communication. This has been an issue all year, and frankly last year too. The most experienced teams know how to communicate with each other. Sometimes it only takes one person willing to be vocal. Racing may still be missing a true vocal on the pitch leader. In my experience there are things that you say to each other in the heat of competition that you would never say to each other when you are off the field. I think you have to get over that mental hurdle. I have heard hilariously mean things said in pick-up matches that would surely cause a fight if said in a bar. However, usually those things were said as a follow up to not listening to a teammate about something that could have prevented a mistake. I believe that you should always be talking on the pitch. I for one never shut up. The point is that the dialog should constantly flow on this pitch and not be restricted to correction or encouragement. It should be instructional and frequent.
Score a team goal. There are all kinds of ways to score, but the most encouraging ones are the ones scored where multiple players are involved in the build-up. I truly believe that the way you score matters. Scoring from open play is better for the team psyche that scoring from a set piece. Scoring from set pieces proves that you can score from a plan or design. Some of the best open play goals are the results of united cohesion. That is what Racing needs right now.

Michael Shaw 9/11/22 Michael Shaw 9/11/22

Courage 5 Racing 1 Post Match Thoughts

*IT’S A PHOTO BY ANNE EVANS!! (Designer of my site logo)*

The first word that comes to mind is regression. It could be argued and has been argued that despite their record that this Racing team was a marked improvement over last year. I still believe that opinion could be true, but in the last two matches I think you could make a case that it is not.

The first and most glaring problem is that Racing concedes too many goals. I don’t feel like this is breaking news. The clubs tell its fans to “Run With Us” and then seem to tell its opponents to “Score On Us”. I can’t see how this changes without a change in personnel. I will give Beth Giesel of the Lavender Legion credit for this, but if Racing could find 6-foot defenders who used to run track, that might begin to help. I don’t think many of those athletes exist outside of the WNBA, so Racing will have to figure out a different way to improve on defense. Rhetorical question time: how many successful pressing clubs are you aware of that concede two goals/match?
This club and team need an identity. I am afraid/hopeful that this 2022 Racing team will be remembered as the worst team in club history from a points perspective. Coach Björkegren recently stated that the rest of the work this year will be in hopes of getting better next year. Racing then proceeded to go out and put on a performance of pre-season quality, so “message received” I guess. The main issue is that I can’t really identify what this team is supposed to be. The club has a stated philosophy of pressing, but that only works as a cohesive unit. This team is far from cohesive on the pitch. I could see progress in losing with a distinct style of defending, but so far, I haven’t. The announcers on last night’s Twitch broadcast also identified Racing’s lack of identity as a problem. It’s clear to everyone, so I assume that it is clear to the front office as well. I have no earthly idea how to solve this issue other than starting over. I don’t think you have to fire the coach or get rid of more players, but you at least have to make the concession that the original plan isn’t working. Is the club brave enough to concede defeat on Plan A and more on to Plan B?
This team is becoming not fun to watch, which could potentially be the most dangerous trend. I didn’t see any real fight to try to get back into the match last night. That is 100% on the players. I don’t think all of the players were but in their best positions, but players have to take full blame for inaccurate passing (70%) and getting out-passed by 257 freaking passes! DeMelo was probably the least involved that she has been in some time. Overall, only Nadim did anything remotely positive, but after scoring I don’t think Racing had any hope that its goal was anything more than a consolation prize.
I am hoping that Racing’s more casual fans didn’t find the match on Twitch last night. As a die-hard, I wish I didn’t watch it. I would have turned it off if I didn’t feel some kind of self-imposed obligation. The effort vs. Orlando on Friday has to be better or Racing risk turning die-hards into casual fans and not the preferred other way around.

Michael Shaw 9/10/22 Michael Shaw 9/10/22

Courage 5 Racing 1 Player Ratings

*In lieu of a match relevant photo, here is picture of my cat, Ramsey watching a squirrel.*

It was nearly a full capitulation for Racing against the Courage on Saturday night. The team looked neither capable of or interested in putting up much of a fight. The good news is that a top 2 pick looks rather likely at this point.

Lund-5: Plenty of saves but also plenty of picking the ball up out of the back of her net.

Wyne-5: Seemed to be singled out as a player to attack.

Murray/Bonner-4 Their midfield did them no favors, but seemed out of position at key points.

Lester-5: Exited at halftime for Martin, who didn't fare much better.

Milliet-5: Moved back into midfield, but couldn't enforce her will on the game and made a few uncharacteristic sloppy passes.

Howell-4: Mostly anonymous in this match, until she conceded a penalty.

DeMelo-5: Not deployed in the best position for her to succeed.

Wang-5: Not nearly as involved as she had been in previous matches.

McDonald-6: Tried to get involved, but didn't see much of the ball.

Nadim-7: Was absolutely gifted her chance, but credit to her for finishing.

Michael Shaw 9/8/22 Michael Shaw 9/8/22

Courage v Racing Preview + News

Racing is entering the home stretch of its season, and don’t really have much to play for other than pride. Their opponents on Saturday, the North Carolina Courage (remember to not buy Continental Tires) have loads to play for. While the Courage would have to leapfrog 3 teams to get into the playoff spots in the table, I wouldn’t put it past them. Coach Björkegren is an admirer of the North Carolina squad and still considers them a top club despite their place in the table. I tend to agree. They have been an especially difficult challenge for Racing with the club not ever really coming close to even getting a point in their 5 previous matches. The Courage score a lot of goals, but also concede more than their fair share too.

Coach Björkegren shared during his media availability today that, in essence, Racing is starting their 2023 preseason campaign this week. Instead of holding back some new tactical ideas until next year, he started to integrate them into practice today. The club practiced a particular tactic (that I will not share) for about 30 minutes. It will be interesting to see if it makes its way into the match on Saturday or will be saved for future use. I tend to think the latter, but if I notice it, I will share. As for the match on Saturday, it will be particularly valuable to the psyche of the team. If Racing can get a win or a draw against the Courage, they will at least know that it can be done. Above all other teams, Racing seems to not match up particularly well against North Carolina, probably due to the Courage’s tendency to overload the center of the pitch with midfielders (according to both Björkegren and Milliet).

The big news of the past couple of days has been the departure of Freja Olofsson to Real Madrid (sad face) and the contract extension of Lo Milliet to stay with the club until 2025. Of course, contracts aren’t much more than payment agreements but the extension of Milliet is a good sign. Björkegren hinted at more extensions to come. In her honor, I replaced Perry Groves’ name in the famous Arsenal chant “A Perry Groves World” (sung to the tune of Yellow Submarine) with hers:

Number 1 is Lo Milliet

Number 2 is Lo Milliet

Number 3 is Lo Milliet

Number 4 is Lo Milliet

Number 5 is Lo Milliet

Number 6 is Lo Milliet

Number 7 is Sav DeMelo (the Arsenal chant kept their number 7, Liam Brady)

Number 8 is Lo Milliet

Number 9 is Lo Milliet

Number 10 is Lo Milliet

Number11 is Lo Milliet

Number 12 is Lo Milliet

We all live in a Lo Milliet world, a Lo Milliet world, a Lo Milliet world.

She really can do it all, except maybe number 1.

Lo is a personal favorite, but so was Freja Olofsson. Bekki Morgan and I interviewed her last year, and it was definitely the most fun of all of the interviews we did. Win or lose, Freja was always good for a “Frejaism” and I am sure that will continue in Spanish in Madrid. Freja’s move is a win-win for Racing and her. She will be missed but Racing definitely got good value (a reported $186,000) for the transfer and Freja’s push to make the Swedish National Team should be aided by her relocation to Europe.

Michael Shaw 8/28/22 Michael Shaw 8/28/22

Racing 0 Red Stars 4 Post Match Thoughts

Racing put in a dreadfull team performance in their 0-4 loss on Saturday. It's hard to know where the team goes from here and if there is any value in examining this performance too deeply.

Coach Björkegren was frank in his assessment of the team after the match and didn't shy away from expressing his disappointment. He seemed genuinely surprised by their performance because it seemed to come off of a really good week of practice and a good warm-up period prior to the match. Björkegren said that the team planned specifically for the areas that ultimately led to the team's demise. The Red Stars are not a team that takes you by surprise tactically. They did exactly what Racing planned for, but Racing could do nothing to stop them. The Red Stars cut right through the heart of Racing's midfield and defense with seemingly little resistance. More than once, a Racing player was in the unenviable position of trying to defend Mal Pugh while isolated and backpedaling. Björkegren said that the game plan had specifically called for Pugh to be given extra attention. Evidently, the players missed the memo on that.
Nadim and Fox both owned up to the player's deficiencies after the match. Nadim immediately apologized to the fans in her opening remarks. Both answered some tough questions about whether Björkegren's message wasn't being effectively understood by the players. The feeling that I got was it was really a case of a bad start snowballing into a terrible performance vs. a breakdown in communication or planning.
I think that there are probably quite a few lessons on the game film from the match. It will likely be a painful review for all parties involved, but may prove beneficial in the long run. I think the most disappointing part of the performance was just the overall lack of energy in the first 30 minutes, but there are surely plenty of tactical breakdowns to review as well.
Yuki Nagasato put in a particularly efficient and ruthless performance. She scored a brace, but her terrific long ball to Pugh for the Red Stars 4th was the pass of the night. Pugh looked onside in real time and (of course) there was no video evidence available to prove otherwise. Racing miss Yuki. She could always pick out a pass and seemed to maintain her composure in just about every situation. Sometimes you really do have time to take an extra fraction of a second to make a pass or shot just that crucial bit more precise. Yuki is the master of this. Racing needed a settling presence to get a foothold in the match, something I think several fans overlooked in Yuki's game in her all-too-brief time in Louisville.
Racing has 2 more home matches this season, so it will be interesting to see if any new fans from the “Fill the Fam” night will come out again this year. There probably isn’t any amount of promotion that works better than winning. I don't think losing this match in such a lopsided fashion will be too detrimental to the current fan base, but it surely didn't make too many new converts. Racing is a long term project, but the lack of tangible on-the-field success has to matter at some point.

Michael Shaw 8/27/22 Michael Shaw 8/27/22

Racing 0 Red Stars 4 Player Ratings

Racing presented Lo Milliet a jersey to recognize her 50th appearance with the club and it was pretty much all downhill from there as the Red Stars “Filled the Fam” with goals. Without a doubt this was Racing’s worst performance of the season.

Lund-5: Was really not given much of a chance to make a save on 3 of the four goals, but can't be completely blameless for the scoreline.

Fox/Bonner/Lester/Milliet-4: Mal Pugh probably had to pinch herself at some point to make sure she wasn't dreaming with the amount of space she was given to dribble straight up the pitch. A collective failure on Racing's behalf.

DeMelo/Howell-4: Don't let the stats fool you on their performance. Both were nowhere to be seen from a defensive perspective in the first 30 minutes.

Chidiac-5/Holloway-6: Alex was cruelly sacrificed to stop the bleeding. Holloway did fairly well I thought in her 55 or so minutes.

Wang-6: Might be wondering what she stepped into after this performance.

Nadim/Davis-4: This attacking pairing couldn't get going at all.

Nadim/McDonald-6: Jess injected some energy but couldn't find the final touch.