Gotham FC vs Racing Louisville FC preview: Friday night in Kentucky | OneFootball

After a 0-0 draw with Chicago Stars FC in the team's first home game in three weeks, NJ/NY Gotham FC is back on the road against Racing Louisville. This will be the fourth of the last five games that the Bats will have played away from home and sixth overall this season, more than any other team in NWSL.

So far, Gotham has a mixed bag of results and performances. A 3-1-1 record in their last five matches has seen the team rebound from being winless in the first three games and jump up from 12th to fourth in the table. However, those two non-wins, the scoreless draw against Chicago and a 4-1 loss to Portland Thorns FC, show that this team has not reached the heights of the 2024 team's consistency. While that can potentially be down to the league tightening up compared to last season, it still shows that no game is guaranteed and that all are up for grabs.

For Louisville, after an uninspiring offseason, the Kentucky-based side is starting to come around and earn some decent results. This includes a 3-3 draw away to Portland and a 2-1 win away to the Houston Dash in their previous two matches. Notably, these are two fixtures that Gotham has also played so far this year, but haven't done as well in coming away with a loss and a draw, respectively. After finishing ninth in the standings in all four of their seasons in NWSL, Louisville will aim to go one better and make the playoffs for the first time in club history. If they can continue to get results like they have recently, then that puts them in a good position to do so.

Gotham FC will be looking for a bounce-back after what was a disappointing result last time out against Chicago. While Louisville has been playing well, they will be without their starting goalkeeper Katie Lund, who suffered a season-ending hip labrum injury. Here's a preview of Friday's game against Racing Louisville.

Gotham FC vs Racing Louisville preview

Date

Gotham FC will play Racing Louisville on Friday, May 9.

Time

The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The match will be streamed on Prime Video.

Location

The game will be played at Lynn Family Field in Louisville, Kentucky.

Weather

After a wet and rainy affair last week in New Jersey, there is a 0% chance of rain throughout Friday's game. The temperature will be 66 degrees at kickoff before dropping to 60 by the end of the fixture. Wind will be around 5 mph, and humidity will be around 40% throughout the course of the match.

Injury report

Tierna Davidson (SEI - knee), Shelby Hogan (D45 - thumb), Rose Lavelle (ankle), Gabi Portilho (hip), and Jéssica Silva (excused absence) are unavailable.

Players to watch

For Gotham, keep an eye on Jaelin Howell. The former Racing captain will visit Louisville for the second time since being traded to Seattle Reign FC in August of last year, and for the first time as a Gotham player. The midfielder is one of three players, Ann-Katrin Berger and Emily Sonnett being the other two, to have played every minute so far this season for Gotham. She has also gotten close a number of times to scoring her first NWSL goal, and being able to do it against the team that drafted her would be a perfect full-circle moment for Howell.

For Louisville, Kayla Fischer has been a big reason for their recent success. Playing in place of Bethany Balcer, Fischer has two goals and an assist in the last two games. Louisville was predicted by many to struggle offensively this season, but if a player like Fischer can step into a starting role and produce, even in just the short term, it could really help with Louisville's playoff push this season.

The NJ/NY side should get back on track with another win, this time by a score of 2-1. Goals for Gotham FC will come from Ella Stevens, who gets her first of 2025, and Geyse, who will get her second goal of the season. For Louisville, the goal will come from Emma Sears, who has very quietly moved into the Golden Boot race with four goals, tying her with Ashley Hatch and Barbra Banda for third in the league.