LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – On the one hand, the weather could’ve been worse. We’ve seen pro soccer training begin in the snow before in Louisville, and Racing Louisville Football Club hit the pitch to kick off its third preseason camp to gray skies and a bitter wind but no raindrops or flakes to deal with on Wednesday afternoon at its Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center.
While the club returns a talented core from the group that closed out last season with four straight wins, it is very much a new-look squad that coach Kim Björkegren will try to mold into shape before the season begins on March 25.
Racing was the second-youngest team in the NWSL a year ago, and brings back seven starters who are 26 years old or younger. But the club added some experience in the offseason and just in the past couple of weeks. It obtained veteran winger Paige Monaghan from Gotham in a draft day trade, and dealt standout back Emily Fox to North Carolina for defenders Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett last week.
“Emily Fox is one of the best outside backs to the world, so of course I will miss her,” Björkegren said. “Also she was really popular in the group. So it was not an easy decision. But we also knew that she had one year left on her contract, and that means that in 5 months, she has the chance chance to sign for a new club. So, this was probably the last chance for us to get something from that deal. And when North Carolina offered us two (very) good players with Carson Pickett and Abby Erceg, it was a difficult decision but in another way also an easy decision to make because I think that kind of experience is exactly what we need on this young squad.”
Racing Louisville FC's Savanna DeMelo led the NWSL in chances created and fouls taken in her rookie season a year ago.
The club moved to lock in a good bit of that young talent, signing Jaelin Howell, Savannah DeMelo, Lauren Milliet and Katie Lund to extensions in the offseason.
DeMelo is coming off a rookie campaign in which she led the NWSL in chances created and fouls won. Lund set a league record for saves (112) in her first season as a starter in goal.
Louisville continues to feature talent from around the globe including players from six continents with the addition of former African player of the year Thembi Kgatlana, who is coming off an Achilles’ injury and Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges. Chinese standout Wang Shuang, Alex Chidiac from Australia, Nadia Nadim from Afghanistan (by way of Denmark), and others add international experience.
Nadim continues to rehab a torn ACL. Louisville native Emina Ekic is still two months away from a return from an ankle injury, and Kgatlana is about that far away in her rehab.
The club will work out for two weeks in Louisville, then head to Florida for training. It unveiled a preseason roster of 30 players earlier this week, including 25 who are already under contract.
Winger Paige Monaghan is one of several experienced players Racing Louisville FC acquired via trade in the offseason.
“I think the squad is really great,” Björkegren said. “I think the most important thing for us was to keep building from the end of last season. We had some difficult decisions last summer but since then, the energy in the group has been amazing. We finished the season in the best way. So that was the most important. We have some quality now. We're still looking for maybe one or maybe two attacking players, it depends a little bit but we're going to add at least one attacking player, I will say, but the squad already is really good.”
Racing’s four NWSL Draft picks – Kayla Fischer (Ohio State), Brianna Martinez (Notre Dame), Jadyn Edwards (New Mexico) and Riley Parker (Alabama) – are all in Louisville for camp competing for contracts and roster spots. Non-roster invitee Olivia Sekany, a goalkeeper who played college soccer at Washington, is in camp to bolster the goalkeeping corps.
A full look at the preseason roster is here:
Racing Louisville FC’s 2023 preseason roster
Goalkeepers: Hillary Beall (NYR), Jordyn Bloomer (NYR), Kelsey Daugherty, Katie Lund, Olivia Sekany (NRI)
Defenders: Abby Erceg (NYR), Rebecca Holloway (INTL), Julia Lester, Brianna Martinez (DRAFT), Paige Monaghan, Satara Murray, Carson Pickett (NYR), Elli Pikkujämsä (INTL), Zaneta Wyne
Midfielders: Ary Borges (NYR/INTL), Alex Chidiac (NYR/INTL), Savannah DeMelo, Jaelin Howell, Taylor Malham, Lauren Milliet, Wang Shuang (NYR/INTL)
Forwards: Kirsten Davis, Jadyn Edwards (DRAFT), Emina Ekic, Kayla Fischer (DRAFT), Parker Goins, Thembi Kgatlana (INTL), Jessica McDonald (NYR), Nadia Nadim (NYR/INTL), Riley Parker (DRAFT)
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