Even though there’s no Louisville City/Racing Louisville soccer to watch, we’re suddenly flush with LC/RL things to talk about, so let’s get to it.
Challenge Cup Conferences Announced
The 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup is officially just a month away! Yesterday, the league announced that the league would be split into two conferences, the boringly-but-geographically apt East and West. Racing is in the East, along with Washington Spirit, North Carolina Courage, Sky Blue, and Orlando Pride – a pretty tough slate. The competition will kick off April 9 at 8pm between Houston and Chicago; a full schedule is supposed to be released today.
Watching this event should be easy, though probably not in the way we’d hoped. The Equalizer podcast mentioned yesterday that fans will not be allowed to attend Challenge Cup games, which is a bummer.**** That leaves us with TV. Some of the matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, others on the new Paramount+ (yay, yet another subscription streaming service), and all of them will be on Twitch.
****Update: I’m told by Racing Louisville that the plan is to allow fans to attend Racing matches at Lynn Family Stadium. The club has been in conversations with the NWSL regarding seating arrangements this week, and expects to offer seating to season ticket members once the details are finalized. Yay!
Racing defeats Vanderbilt 1-2 in second preseason scrimmage
Midfielder Lauren Milliet scored the game’s opening goal and earned a penalty leading to another tally Sunday as Racing Louisville FC continued its preseason with a 2-1 victory over Vanderbilt University. CeCe Kizer kept her name on the score sheet for the second match in a row when she buried a penalty kick early in the second half.
See the club’s press release for a few more details.
Soccer Holdings announces adult leagues
Louisville, home to some of the ruttiest, sloping, gopher-hole-ridden outdoor public soccer fields ever, now has a new home where you can play outdoor rec-league soccer on the same fields where the Academy trains! Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC announced the new Champions City Adult League yesterday with games played at the clubs’ training facility at Champions Park.
Registration is now open at RacingLouFC.com/adult-leagues with play starting April 2. The Champions City Adult League will offer the following 7v7 divisions:
• Men’s Over 30 and Men’s Over 40 (Mondays)
• Men’s and Women’s Open (Wednesdays)
• Men’s Intermediate (Thursdays)
• Coed (Fridays)
Each division will be officiated by certified referees with seasons consisting of seven regular season games and one mini-tournament. The new training grounds will also be host to a full-service concession stand and open-air common area once construction finishes this spring.
“The Champions City Adult League aims to provide the Greater Louisville soccer community with organized competition for adults of all ages and skill levels on professional-caliber fields,” said league manager Caitlyn Flores. “From the youngest LouCity and Racing youth academy players through the adult leagues, we’re offering our community a chance to play where the pros do.”
Players can see which division fits their skill level at a pair of open pickup kickoff events from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, March 20, and Friday, March 26. Plus enjoy all the amenities of playing at the pros’ home, including food and beer vendors, LouCity/Racing swag and on-site registration for the initial Champions City Adult League season.
Summer and fall leagues will follow at conclusion of the spring sessions. For more information on the Champions City Adult League, contact Flores at cflores@loucity.com.
Coopers Membership Drive!
The start of regular-season play for Racing and Louisville City is still agonizingly far away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t join the Coopers and become part of the heartbeat of both clubs today!
For $25, you can be part of the growing Coopers regiment. As a member you will have the unique opportunity to join passionate fans as they support the club locally as well as at away matches. Be sure to add your voice to our membership meetings and join us in the Angel’s Share, our charitable initiatives. Help us as we strive to grow and support local soccer.
2021 Memberships come with an exclusive 2021 membership scarf (the best one we’ve ever done, IMO) and a members-only challenge token that you’ll surely never lose underneath the seats in your car!
Digging into NWSL salary structures
NWSL is owned by its clubs and, now that the league is socially distancing itself from US Soccer, most player salaries are paid by the league. It’s crazy that someone can be playing professional soccer in arguably the best league in the world and make about as much salary as a gas station cashier, but that’s where we are right now. The good news is it’s better than it was when the league began, and things are trending upward as the NWSL begins to improve its sponsorship take and media rights deals.
The Equalizer is a great NWSL-centric website focusing on all things WoSo, and has a great podcast to help you follow along. Jeff Kassouf dug into the league’s most recent tweaks to player salaries in a must-read article if you want to know about that side of the league.
