WHO: Orlando Pride, 0-0-0 NWSL Challenge Cup, Eastern Division

WHAT: Racing Louisville’s FIRST EVER MATCH! Also Racing’s kickoff match in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup.

WHEN: Saturday, April 10, 2021, 7:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE: Lynn Family Stadium, 350 Adams Street, Louisville, KY 40206

WATCH: Tickets to this match are still available, and you can find those on Racing’s website or via SeatGeek. Otherwise, the only way to watch Racing this season will be via streaming on Paramount+, which is a pretty good deal once you realize every NWSL game, UEFA Champions League game, UEFA Europa League game, Argentine Primera División game, and soon every Italian Serie A game is also on there. I’m tired of subscribing to a zillion streaming services, too, but this one is probably worth it.

MARCH: It’s still COVID-19, and despite some pretty good vaccination numbers in Kentucky, social distancing protocols are still very much a good idea. That’s all a long way of saying Racing Louisville isn’t going to approve of tailgates or marches until we’re well on the other side of this pandemic. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s still a bit faint.

WHO, AGAIN? This question really could easily apply to either team playing this game. I’m really, really interested to see what kind of lineup Christy Holly rolls out in this match, and will hazard a guess in a minute. But this part is supposed to be about our opponent, Orlando Pride, so let’s talk about them.

They’ve got Marta, Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, and, oh yeah, Alex Morgan. Well, probably not for this match, as she’s still on international duty somewhere. Still, any match where you’re playing against legit one of the top three women’s players of all time in Marta is worth your time and attention.

Orlando is historically a team that plays games with a lot of goals. That’s because they can score a lot, but their defense is, by The Mane Land’s own admission, “porous.” That’s certainly something that will make Holly & Co. lick their chops, as Racing’s present construction is much more geared toward attacking than defending. If Orlando plays a high line like is predicted, that could play into Racing’s hands as they’ve looked fabulous in transition in my limited opportunities to see them play.

Even though the Pride are without Morgan, Marta is a good scorer from deeper areas, plus they have respectable forwards in Taylor Kornieck, Marisa Viggiano and Chelsee Washington. Sydney Leroux might also be in the mix, and has flashes of being a top-level striker when she’s fit and on her game.

Orlando’s also got a new coach in Marc Skinner. He hasn’t had much chance to show us what he’s about as the Pride barely played in 2020 thanks to COVID19 protocols and testing. This tournament will be his first chance to try and marshal his forces toward respectability.

On the Purple side of things, we know two things for sure: Michelle Betos and Savannah McCaskill are captain and vice captain, respectively, which means they’re starters. After that, things are a bit murkier. Here’s a possible deployment:

Betos

Riehl     Hendrix      Simon      Fox

Olofsson       Otto       Milliet

McCaskill       Kizer       Nagasato

This is purely a guess. Racing’s a little short on midfielders, and I expect whoever plays fullback (especially Emily Fox) will have big jobs to do covering wide areas and carrying the ball up the lines to get them to Racing’s capable forward group. Holly is very interested in team speed and long vertical runs from either fullback spot. Hopefully some of this is designed to show off Fox’s budding talent and really turn her into a star in this league.

Racing is going to look pretty competent when they have the ball, I think. The question becomes how do they get it, and what do they do without it. I don’t have answers for that just yet. However, be on the lookout for Lauren Milliet absolutely buzzing around and at the very least annoying the hell out of Marta and the rest of the Pride midfield. Her energy and work rate are fantastic.

You might note I’m missing Addisyn Merrick in this group. That’s because we haven’t seen hide or hair of her on any of Racing’s social media or any other PR stuff since she first arrived in town. I’m not sure why that is, but it could be due to injury, which is really unfortunate if that’s the case. I had and have high hopes for her and what I think she can contribute to the spine of this team going forward. We’ll just have to see what her story is at some point.

In any event, SOCCER IS BACK IN LOUISVILLE! GET HYPED! AVOID THE THUNDERSTORMS! and RUN. WITH. US!

UPDATE:

Jonathan Lintner does a better job than I ever give him credit for, and actually released an injury report:

Injury report

• Cheyna Matthews (Out)
• Addisyn Merrick (Out)
• Julia Ashley (Questionable)
• Emina Ekic (Questionable)
• Cece Kizer (Questionable)
• Lauren Milliet (Questionable)
• Taylor Otto (Questionable)

Not loving seeing Kizer, Otto or Milliet on there, as I think they’re shoe-in starters if they’re healthy. Also, confirms that Merrick is out injured, which, again, is a bummer. It’s not great to start a season with a kind-of weird roster setup already and then finding that your likely starter at central midfield is questionable. Oh, well! ONWARD.