Purple Press: 1.15.21

Today’s Purple Press (the first in a long time, I know) is mostly going to be dedicated to Racing Louisville, as they’re the club that’s got the most going on this week. And it’s a lot.

BUT FIRST, some quick LouCity news:

HOWEVAH, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that Louisville City added former FCC villain Jimmy McLaughlin to the roster since I’ve last written anything on this fair website. Jimmy was a guy I loved to hate when he was at FCC, mainly because the amount of affection he got from their fans seemed to outweigh anything he ever did on the field. That said, I can pack my homerism away enough to recognize that he’s a very useful wide player with a canny ability to cut in and get shots off from about 15-20 yards. He also is a good hustle player, and thus will probably fit in fine with the remainder of the City roster. Welcome to Louisville, Jimmy!

Recapping Racing Louisville’s first-ever NWSL Draft

The 2021 NWSL Draft was Wednesday night, and hoo boy, was it long. Count me among those who want to ban time outs from a sport that famously doesn’t allow time outs. The first round lasted almost two hours, and I admit I fell asleep before it was over because I have a job and three kids and am almost forty.

Racing did a pretty good job with its allotment of picks, by all accounts, which are:

Round 1, Pick 1: Emily Fox, D. After Catarina Macario essentially removed herself from the draft, Fox was the next most-likely player to be able to make an immediate impact. She had a dazzling career at powerhouse UNC, and given the depth Racing has on its roster at defender for the moment, she’s going to get the chance to prove herself against seasoned pros very quickly. I’m a little ambivalent about picking an outside back as the first overall pick, but when the obvious choices were between Fox and Brianna Pinto, and there already being a glut of players at Pinto’s position that are already on the roster, Fox makes more sense.

Round 1, Pick 5: Emina Ekic, M/F. The UofL attacker is a hometown girl with a boatload of upside. Given the number of players on Racing’s roster that also play her position, my guess is she’ll need some time before she’s seeing a ton of minutes for Christy Holly, but this is a good pick. It also sends a great message to girls locally about the heights they can reach right here in town. I’m very satisfied with this one.

Round 2, Pick 1: Taylor Otto, M. Another Tar Heel! She also fills a sudden position of need: central midfield. I’ll get to why in a bit. I kind of hope she doesn’t get thrust into a starting role there yet, but she does show lots of poise and promise.

Round 2, Pick 3: Kirsten Davis, F. I don’t know much about her, but she’s a forward and she can score bangers. Sign me up.

Round 3, Pick 1: Parker Goins, F. Another one I know next to nothing about, though I do know she was really good on a really good Arkansas team in 2020.

Round 4, Pick 1: Emily Smith, D. FINALLY, a defender. Might get thrown into the fire, and I hope she’s ready.

All in all, Racing drafted some quality players. What remains to be seen is how any of this is going to work. Let’s have a look at the players actually signed (or reasonably are expected to sign) so far:

GK: Michelle Betos, Katie Lund. Okay. Lund has barely played professionally and is a default second keeper. I know Michelle is a seasoned veteran, but has some limitations. I’d feel better if she had some top notch center backs in front of her, who would do what she asked and organize the defense but…

D: Julia Ashley, Brooke Hendrix, Addisyn Merrick, Erin Simon, Emily Smith, Emily Fox. Addisyn Merrick has load of potential but her only playing experience was in the Challenge Cup last season. Ashley’s made nine appearances in three professional seasons between three different clubs, none of those being in the NWSL. Hendrix might be the leader of this group but hasn’t played a game since April 2019. Erin Simon played a ton as a fullback for Sky Blue before spending two season at West Ham and hasn’t played since December 2019. This is a group with a lot of upside and potential. I don’t know yet whether Simon and Hendrix are meant to start and blood in the less experienced women or what, but it’s not quite rock solid at the back.

MF: Lauren Milliet, Freja Olofsson, Taylor Otto. That’s it. That’s the list. These Milliet is good, and Olofsson has international experience, but that’s it. Racing just traded what I thought was going to be the anchor of this group, Jennifer Cudjoe, back to Sky Blue FC for $35,000 in allocation money, which I hope was worth it though I’m not convinced yet. Catarina Macario, who I’d hoped would be Racing’s 10 for ever and ever, said adieu to NWSL and went to France. So this is a list that’s going to need some additions.

F: CeCe Kizer, Cheyna Matthews, Savannah McCaskill, Katie McClure, Yuki Nagasato, Emina Ekic, Kirsten Davis, Parker Goins. I’m obviously less concerned about this list. I’m guessing Ekic and two others are really going to be midfielders that will need to embrace more defensive responsibilities.

This is a roster that’s built to score goals and try not to give up too many, as currently constructed. I don’t know if it’s a group that can keep the ball or not. It’s a roster that doesn’t include four players (Heath, Press, Alana Kennedy, Caitlin Foord) that Racing drafted the rights to in the expansion draft. None of those women are apparently going to play in Louisville, which begs the questions:

“Could those picks have been used on players that can play for Racing Louisville? Especially seeing the gaping holes we have at defense and central midfield?”

It likely speaks to my ignorance, by and large, of women’s soccer that I’ve got doubts. Those doubts are being fueled by people on Reddit and NWSL podcasts that appear to know more about it than me and call Racing Louisville a hot mess. I want to clap back and say, “oh yeah, well we’ve got so and so and she’s going to take your lunch money.” But I don’t know who that is on this roster yet, especially now that Cudjoe is gone.

When I ask myself these questions, I have to force myself to remember that these decisions are being made by three people that I trust: James O’Connor, Brad Estes, and John Neace. I don’t know Christy Holly yet, but if those guys trust him, I’ll give him a chance. I really don’t understand this roster. I know the season doesn’t start for like, ever, and lots can happen. But I had hoped for a couple of players that I could really hang my hat on, women I knew would be reliable from day one.

This is a brand new club, and a brand new roster. So far, Racing’s choices of players from within NWSL have been really limited by the league in terms of protected players in the expansion draft, the league’s salary cap, and Macario’s larger ambitions. But, as John Neace told me when I voiced my doubts, I have to believe.