Racing Louisville FC, led by former NC Courage stars, pushing for first NWSL playoff berth
Carson Pickett said she and Jaelin Howell still laugh about how they celebrated Racing Louisville FC's first win of the season, a 3-0 victory against Chicago more than a month into the campaign.
"Jaelin and I ran into each other's arms like we won the World Cup," said Pickett, who along with fellow defender Abby Erceg joined the team in January as part of a blockbuster trade that sent former No. 1 overall pick Emily Fox to the North Carolina Courage.
Two weeks after that momentum-shifting win, Racing (2-2-4, 10 points) welcomes Fox and the Courage (3-3-2, 11 points) to Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network) at a critical juncture of the early going. Louisville has won three matches in a row — including a National Women's Soccer League Challenge Cup victory that doesn't count toward the league standings — for the first time since its inception in 2021, and a victory would move the club into sixth place on the NWSL table. If Racing gets there and is able to hold onto or improve upon that position over the next five months, it will make its first trip to the playoffs.
Starting 5: Racing Louisville hits groove with third straight win
Racing Louisville FC schedule: Game times and how to watch NWSL season
"It's just gonna be about leadership," Erceg said of the looming matchup against her former club. "It's about controlling the nerves, controlling that human side of the game and just looking at it as a professional, 'This is my job; this is what I'm about to do,' and hoping that, that carries through and gets you the result. It'll be a really tough game."
That mentality is a big reason why acquiring Erceg, 33, and Pickett, 29, late in the offseason has already paid dividends for Racing, which boasts a bevy of young talent still finding its footing in the NSWL. After weathering the initial shock and stress of uprooting and starting fresh in Louisville, the defenders have assumed critical roles in helping build the club into a contender, playing every minute of its first eight matches while serving as mentors to Howell and others. In the process, both Erceg and Pickett said they've found a renewed sense of purpose in laying the groundwork for the future.
"I really enjoy being in this underdog mindset and just like grinding through and making something really successful," Erceg said. "I think it's something that you can be really proud of."
Ali Festival coming up: Here are 8 ways to celebrate 'The Greatest' in Louisville
'You just need belief'
Racing coach Kim Björkegren said he called Pickett while Louisville was finalizing its deal with North Carolina. Having worked with the left-footed defender during a brief stop at Apollon Ladies F.C. in Cyprus, he knew the club could benefit from adding players of her and Erceg's caliber but wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
"I said, 'I just want to know, do you guys want to be here?' Björkegren told The Courier Journal. 'Because if not, I don't care if you're both two really good players and this deal is probably going to be good for us. I want you to want to be here.'"
Pickett and Erceg both said they had some reservations about leaving the Courage, where the former had played since 2021 and the latter had played since 2017, but Erceg said they embraced the "unsettling" journey together for the opportunity to help a club establish itself in the NWSL.
Starting 5: LouCity's Josh Wynder makes World Cup; Wang Shuang makes NWSL history
"In North Carolina, winning became an expectation, and you kind of lose the excitement with it. You just expect it to happen, and it happens," said Erceg, who represented New Zealand in four World Cups and four Summer Olympics before retiring from the international circuit. "I think I missed that feeling of like, 'I want to really work hard for it' and that feeling of, 'We really deserve this, and nobody expected that from us.'"
Pickett ranks second among NWSL players in chances created (18), and Racing is one of just five teams in the league to concede fewer than 10 goals thus far. But the club struggled at first to put together complete performances, having to rally for ties or watching leads slip away in the second half, but Pickett and Erceg view the lopsided victory against Chicago on May 12 as a turning point.
"With a younger team, you just need belief sometimes," Pickett said. "I think everyone just needed that one win, and then we're like, 'OK, we're good enough.' Now, I feel like everyone believes, no matter what, that we can win on any given day."
'Dream come true': Bullitt East High star Colin Elder makes Louisville City FC debut hours before senior prom
'Soak it all in'
Howell, who at 23 years old has established herself as Racing's lone captain, admitted to being "a little afraid" of Erceg, who captained the Courage for five seasons, when she and Pickett first arrived.
After several months as teammates, Howell said Erceg and Pickett's presence on the back line has made her more comfortable as a midfielder — and their presence in the locker room has made her a better leader.
"We've been able to establish a relationship where I can grow and lean on (Abby), and Carson has just been amazing, too," said Howell, the second overall pick of the 2022 NWSL Draft. "I knew they were gonna be great players, but I didn't know until they got here the big impact that they would have for the club and for me personally."
Meet Ryan Dell: How Racing's new general manager hopes to help the team move on from abuse scandal
The respect is mutual. Pickett commended Howell for being "brutally honest" about needing their guidance as a young captain, and Erceg said Howell's understanding of how to operate in the role is going to make her successful in the seasons to come.
"I'm just trying to learn and soak it all in," Howell said. "That way, someday hopefully, I can really help the team and lead them to a championship."
Though Erceg — whose contract with Racing runs through the 2024 season — said being part of such a young squad has her feeling rejuvenated, she's already pondering life after soccer. The thought only adds more urgency to what she and Pickett hope to accomplish with, and impart to, the teammates who have made Louisville feel like home.
"We've gone from being unsettled," she said, "to being really comfortable and really happy to be here."
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Racing Louisville vs North Carolina Courage game: Carson Pickett trade
